Fig. 4. Magnetotaxis, combined with chemotaxis and aerotaxis, allows MTB to efficiently locate and maintain an optimal position for survival and growth in habitats with vertical redox concentration gradients in water columns and sediments around an oxic–anoxic interface (OAI).

MTB are widely distributed in aquatic environments from marine to freshwater ecosystems and are thought to play important roles in the cycling of various elements (e.g., Fe, C, N, S, P, and some heavy metals, such as tellurium and selenium).