Chemotaxis allows microorganisms to direct movement in response to chemical stimuli. Bacteria use this behaviour to develop spatial associations with animals and plants, and even larger microbes. However, current theory suggests that constraints imposed by the limits of chemotactic sensory systems will prevent sensing of chemical gradients emanating from cells smaller than a few micrometres, precluding the utility of chemotaxis in interactions between individual bacteria. Yet, recent evidence has revealed surprising levels of bacterial chemotactic precision, as well as a role for chemotaxis in metabolite exchange between bacterial cells. If indeed widespread, chemotactic sensing between bacteria could represent an important, but largely overlooked, phenotype within interbacterial interactions, and play a significant role in shaping cooperative and competitive relationships.

趋化性使微生物能够响应化学刺激而引导运动。细菌利用这种行为与动物和植物甚至更大的微生物建立空间联系。然而，当前的理论表明，趋化感觉系统的限制所施加的限制将阻止对小于几微米的细胞发出的化学梯度的感知，从而排除了趋化性在个体细菌之间相互作用中的效用。然而，最近的证据揭示了细菌趋化精确度的惊人水平，以及趋化在细菌细胞之间代谢物交换中的作用。如果细菌之间的趋化感应确实广泛存在，那么它可能代表细菌间相互作用中一个重要但在很大程度上被忽视的表型，并在塑造合作和竞争关系中发挥重要作用。