Microscale nutrient patches in planktonic habitats shown by chemotactic bacteria

Are nutrients available to microbial communities in micropatches Long enoug h to influence growth and competition? And what are the sources of such pat ches? To answer these questions, the swimming behavior of chemotactic bacte ria in seawater samples was examined. Clusters of bacteria formed in conjun ction with cell Lysis and excretion by protozoa, These point sources of nut rients spread into spherical patches a few millimeters in diameter and sust ained swarms of bacteria for about 10 minutes. Within that time, a large pr oportion of the nutrients was encountered by bacteria, chemotactic and nonc hemotactic alike. Chemotaxis is advantageous for bacteria using patches ove r a certain size.