Definition

The movement of an organism or cell in response to a chemical signal, either moving towards or away from it.

Example

Bacteria use chemotaxis to find food sources in their environment.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of chemotaxis?

Yeah, it's how cells move toward or away from chemical signals, right?

Exactly! It's fascinating how organisms can respond to their environment like that.

Totally! Nature has some amazing strategies for survival.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Chemotaxis is formed from "chemo-" (from Greek "chēmeia", meaning chemistry or chemical) and "taxis" (from Greek "taxis", meaning arrangement or order). The word describes the movement of an organism in response to a chemical stimulus, indicating how it arranges itself in relation to chemicals.

Memory Tip

Think of 'chemicals' ('chemo-') guiding the 'arrangement' ('taxis') of organisms — that's how chemotaxis means movement in response to chemicals.

Visually Confused Words