Surface chemical reactivity and metal adsorptive properties of natural cyanobacterial mats from an alkaline hydrothermal spring, Yellowstone National Park

The propensity for microbes to adsorb dissolved metals onto their surfaces has been well documented, to the point where predictive surface complexation models can accurately account for these reactions under experimental conditions. However, critical surface chemical parameters, such as surface functional group concentrations and proton stability constants, have only been evaluated using laboratory cultures. Whether or not natural microbes are …