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The Albertine Region of Uganda, an integral part of the Great Rift Valley, have a diverse array of geosites with exceptional geoheritage value. Despite the region's immense geological, geomorphological, structural, palaeontological, stratigraphic and mineralogical significance, as well as its potential as a prime geotourism destination, there is a scarcity of comprehensive studies on its geoheritage within the global geotourism literature. This research examined and assessed key geosites in the Albertine Region, emphasizing their educational value and unique geological characteristics that could attract geotourists. The study employed a rigorous methodology combining cartographic analysis, scientific literature review, GIS data integration, and field surveys to identify and evaluate the geosites based on their educational and touristic potential. The geosites were classified into thematic groups, including waterfalls, hot springs, glacial features, caves, rare mineral occurrences, and bedrock exposures. The evaluation revealed that several geosites possess considerable geotourism and educational potential, with some receiving high scores for both educational value and geotourism attractiveness. To capitalise on this potential and generate economic benefits for Uganda, a two-pronged approach is recommended, involving collaboration between government agencies and educational institutions to promote geosites and actively identify and develop potential sites. By doing so, the Albertine Region can be transformed into a premium geotourism destination in Uganda, generating economic benefits for the country while safeguarding its invaluable geoheritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermophilic enzymes are valuable in industries because they can function under harsh conditions like elevated temperatures, pH extremes, salinity, high substrate loading, and stringent processes. Geothermal springs offer the best source for identifying and isolating thermophiles for obtaining thermozymes. The present study isolated thermophilic microbes from the Manikaran hot springs of Himachal Pradesh, India by selective enrichment on solid substrates. The thermophilic bacteria were screened for industrially relevant enzymes. Among the 40 thermophilic isolates, 12 morphologically distinct isolates showed enzymatic activities of one or more enzymes like cellulase, amylase, protease, lipase, and ligninase. Potential thermophilic bacteria were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic profiling. Nine isolates belonged to Brevibacillus borstelensis, two belonged to Bacillus subtilis, and one was identified as Ba. licheniformis. These isolates thrived in a wide pH range (from 4.00 to 12.00) and tolerated temperatures of up to 80 °C. Isolates MC4 and MX18 were the best cellulase producers, with pH optima of 7.00 and 6.00 and temperature optima of 60 °C and 50 °C, respectively. The CMCase (carboxymethyl cellulase), FPase (filter-paper cellulase), and Avicelase (avicel hydrolase) activities were 10.37 U/mL, 3.78 U/mL, 0.17 U/mL and 9.69 U/mL, 3.0 U/mL, 0.14 U/mL from isolates MC4 and MX18, respectively. The cellulases produced by isolates MC4 and MX18 yielded 52% and 65% saccharification efficiency with corncob as the substrate. Thus, the study identified potential thermophilic bacteria producing industrially essential enzymes for biomass hydrolysis at high titer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot springs are considered to be a unique environment with extremophiles, that are sources of industrially important enzymes, and other biotechnological products. The objective of this study was to undertake, analyze, and characterize the microbiome of two major hot springs located in the state of Madhya Pradesh explicitly, Chhoti Anhoni (Hotspring 1), and Badi Anhoni (Hotspring 2) to find out the inhabitant microbial population, and their functional characteristics. The taxonomic analysis of the microbiome of the hot springs revealed the phylum Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxa in both the hot-springs, however, its abundance in hot-spring 1 (~88%) was more than the hot-spring 2 (~52%). The phylum Bacteroides (~10–22%) was found to be the second most abundant group in the hot-springs followed by Spirocheates (~2–11%), Firmicutes (~6–8%), Chloroflexi (1–5%), etc. The functional analysis of the microbiome revealed different features related to several functions including metabolism of organics and degradation of xenobiotic compounds. The functional analysis showed that most of the attributes of the microbiome was related to metabolism, followed by cellular processes and environmental information processing functions. The functional annotation of the microbiomes at KEGG level 3 annotated the sequences into 279 active features that showed variation in abundance between the hot spring samples, where hot-spring 1 was functionally more diverse. Interestingly, the abundance of functional genes from methanogenic bacteria, was higher in the hot-spring 2, which may be related to the relatively higher pH and temperature than Hotspring 1. The study showed the presence of different unassigned bacterial taxa with high abundance which indicates the potential of novel genera or phylotypes. Culturable isolates (28) were bio-prospected for industrially important enzymes including amylase, protease, lipase, gelatinase, pectinase, cellulase, lecithinase, and xylanase. Seven isolates (25%) had shown positive results for all the enzyme activities whereas 23 isolates (82%) produced Protease, 27 isolates (96%) produced lipase, 27 isolates produced amylase, 26 isolates (92%) produced cellulase, 19 isolates (67%) produced pectinase, 19 isolates (67%) could produce lecithinase, and 13 isolates (46%) produced gelatinase. The seven isolates, positive for all the enzymes were analyzed further for quantitative analysis and identified through molecular characterization.

Hot springs are considered to be a unique environment with extremophiles, that are sources of industrially important enzymes, and other biotechnological products. The objective of this study was to undertake, analyze, and characterize the microbiome of two major hot springs located in the state of Madhya Pradesh explicitly, Chhoti Anhoni (Hotspring 1), and Badi Anhoni (Hotspring 2) to find out the inhabitant microbial population, and their functional characteristics. The taxonomic analysis of the microbiome of the hot springs revealed the phylum Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxa in both the hot-springs, however, its abundance in hot-spring 1 (~88%) was more than the hot-spring 2 (~52%). The phylum Bacteroides (~10–22%) was found to be the second most abundant group in the hot-springs followed by Spirocheates (~2–11%), Firmicutes (~6–8%), Chloroflexi (1–5%), etc. The functional analysis of the microbiome revealed different features related to several functions including metabolism of organics and degradation of xenobiotic compounds. The functional analysis showed that most of the attributes of the microbiome was related to metabolism, followed by cellular processes and environmental information processing functions. The functional annotation of the microbiomes at KEGG level 3 annotated the sequences into 279 active features that showed variation in abundance between the hot spring samples, where hot-spring 1 was functionally more diverse. Interestingly, the abundance of functional genes from methanogenic bacteria, was higher in the hot-spring 2, which may be related to the relatively higher pH and temperature than Hotspring 1. The study showed the presence of different unassigned bacterial taxa with high abundance which indicates the potential of novel genera or phylotypes. Culturable isolates (28) were bio-prospected for industrially important enzymes including amylase, protease, lipase, gelatinase, pectinase, cellulase, lecithinase, and xylanase. Seven isolates (25%) had shown positive results for all the enzyme activities whereas 23 isolates (82%) produced Protease, 27 isolates (96%) produced lipase, 27 isolates produced amylase, 26 isolates (92%) produced cellulase, 19 isolates (67%) produced pectinase, 19 isolates (67%) could produce lecithinase, and 13 isolates (46%) produced gelatinase. The seven isolates, positive for all the enzymes were analyzed further for quantitative analysis and identified through molecular characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermophilic bacteria isolated from hot springs of Himachal Pradesh were screened for xylanase activity and production. Of the 38 strains screened, 19 were xylanase positive and among them 5 promising strains with significant hydrolytic capacity were considered for further investigation. Under submerged conditions, xylanase production of these isolates ranged from 0.64 to 2.36 IU.ml-1 at 72 h using birch wood xylan as substrate. These isolates were further confirmed for the presence of xylanase gene (700bp) and protein profile showing high density activity bands between 75 to 90 KDa. The maximum level of xylanase production was noted with Bacillus licheniformis KBFB3, which also exhibited relatively more activity in a broad pH range between 4.5 and 8.5 and temperature up to 80°C. From the above results, it is vivid that the highly thermostable and alkali tolerant xylanase of B.licheniformis KBFB3 could find its application in efficient biomass valorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Free-living amoebae have various genera that are found in several environmental niches such as soil, freshwater, dust, seawater and hotsprings. Most of Free-living amoebae are normally harmless to humans. However, some ameoba such as Acanthamoeba and also Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia manderillaris and Sappinia are identified as opportunistic and pathogenic amoebae that can cause eye diseases, encephalitis, and meningoencephalitis in human. Vannellidae are a family of free-living amoebae and exist mainly in soil, freshwater, and marine habitats. This amoeba is nonpathogenic for human, but can act as a Trojan horse for other pathogens such as Microsporidia. The present study reports the occurrence of Vannella spp. in a hotspring of Amol city. Materials and Methods: 22 samples were taken from hotsprings of Mazandaran province during our previous study. The plates were checked for the presence of Vannella spp. according to the specific morphological criteria. DNA extraction, PCR and sequencing was performed on the positive isolate. Results: The result showed that one plate contained fan-shaped amoebae suspected to Vannella spp. PCR analysis and sequencing was confirmed the occurrence of Vannella spp. in one sample of a hot spring of Amol, northern Iran. Conclusion: The result confirmed the presence of Vannella amoebae in the hotspring of Amol city. More studies are needed to clarify the real distribution of Vannella spp. in environmental niches and its pathogenic potential in Iran and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot springs are a common source of thermophyles which produce thermostable enzymes. The objective of this study was to isolate and identify thermostable amylase-producing bacteria from a local geothermal spring. An amylase–producing bacterium strain was isolated from this hot spring which excreted amylase after being grown on starch agar screening plates at 37 °C. It was identified as Bacillus megaterium using the method of 16S ribosomal DNA. The organism is a rod-shape and is a spore-forming bacterium. Maximum amylase production was achieved after incubation in the production media for 72 hours. Preliminary analysis of the secreted amylase showed that the enzyme could bind to DEAE-Sepharose matrix and was discharged by eluting with 0.5 M NaCl. The partially purified enzyme was stable up to 75 °C, showing that this enzyme might have potential application in the starch-processing industry.

Abstract: This study demonstrates discernible biosilicification of natural microbial mats through batch laboratory experiments. Identification of the geochemical requirements for this process to occur includes thermodynamically favorable, but sluggish silica reaction kinetics associated with acidic conditions, and the necessity for colloidal silica rather than dissolved silicic acid species. This study provides the first results to bridge the apparent literature discrepancy between widespread, in-situ observations of microbial silicification, and the inability to demonstrate a detectable microbial impact in this process under well-constrained laboratory conditions. We compared the silica scavenging abilities of three natural microbial mats collected from Yellowstone National Park (YNP) hotsprings, relative to those of both abiotic particle (TiO2) and solution controls at constant, near-saturated aqueous silica concentrations, while experimental pH and temperature conditions were varied, using both dissolved and colloidal SiO2 forms. We specifically evaluated three microbial mats sampled from YNP sites all exhibiting saturation with respect to amorphous SiO2, but possessing variable pH and temperature conditions that should reflect differential kinetics (and therefore biological opportunity) relative to silica polymerization: (1) most biologically favorable, acidic-mesophile (AM: pH 3, T =35 °C); (2) biologically possible, but less opportune, alkaline, mesophile (ALK-M: pH 8, T =35 °C) and (3) unlikely to be biologically favorable, alkaline-thermophile (ALK-T: pH 8, T =80 °C). Comparison of field and laboratory results substantiates the requirements for thermodynamically favorable, but kinetically slower SiO2 polymerization conditions. Results show that acidic moderate temperature conditions were required for an observable biosilicification impact. Moreover, they also identified for the first time, the necessity specifically for colloidal silica forms which are surface bound under acidic pH conditions, to distinguish discernible biosilicification compared to mineral particle controls. Results also highlight the important influence of mat surface characteristics in this process, specifically the extent of live, non-mineralized, exposed biological mat surface. Greater colloidal SiO2 scavenging abilities are associated with non-mineralized microbial mat surfaces than with mineral particle surfaces or microbial mat surfaces encrusted with authigenic silica. These results are the first to demonstrate that biosilicification can be a microbially mediated, discernible geobiological process, shedding new light on the longstanding argument in the literature, and opening the door for more sensitive evaluation of this phenomenon in natural systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]