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Movement of bacteria in the soil and the rhizosphere

Summary

Bacteria in soil move around using several different strategies to find nutrients and colonize new areas. They can swim using whip-like flagella, hitchhike on fungal networks or other microbes, or get transported by predatory organisms like nematodes. These different movement mechanisms help bacteria spread through soil at varying speeds and distances, which affects how soil communities are structured and function.

Background

The soil and rhizosphere are complex, heterogeneous environments hosting diverse microorganisms critical to nutrient cycling and plant productivity. Bacterial dispersal in these environments is less well-characterized than macroorganism dispersal due to environmental complexity and technical challenges in quantifying bacterial movement.

Objective

This minireview examines the modes of bacterial movement in soil and rhizosphere environments, focusing on mechanisms that do not depend on passive physical factors like rainfall. The review aims to identify areas of future research needed to understand bacterial dispersal and its impact on soil microbial community function.

Results

The review identifies multiple bacterial dispersal mechanisms including flagella-mediated swimming and swarming, twitching motility via type IV pili, transport via fungal highways, protist and nematode-mediated dispersal, hitchhiking on other microbes, and emerging motility from interspecies interactions. Movement speeds range from 0.1-180 μm/s depending on mechanism and organism.

Conclusion

Bacterial dispersal in soil occurs through multiple active and passive mechanisms at different spatial scales. Fungal highways appear most promising for long-distance dispersal, while interspecies interactions trigger additional motility behaviors. Quantitative data on dispersal impacts on soil microbiome structure and function remains limited and requires further investigation.
  • Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.1128/aem.00246-25; PMID: 40938096
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