Relay Architectures and Ecological Strategies of Quorum Sensing Effects on Microbial Interactions.

Three relay architectures by which quorum sensing influences microbial interactions are identified, with the framework applicable across diverse habitats and ecological contexts.

• Why it matters: Understanding how quorum sensing signals reach and affect neighboring populations is crucial for predicting microbial community assembly and designing microbiome interventions, yet current studies are limited by focus on signal type or phenotype.
• What they did: The review synthesizes evidence from multiple ecosystems to develop a two-dimensional framework that categorizes QS effects into direct perception, chemical effector exposure, or environmental response, and links these to ecological strategies.
• The result: This framework reveals how habitat features and temporal variability shape QS-mediated interactions, enabling predictions of microbial community responses and informing strategies to manipulate microbiome functions.