The word taxis is also the plural form of the word taxi.

A taxis (plural taxes, pronounced "takseez") is an innate behavioral response by an organism (or cell) to a directional stimulus (a stimulus from a particular direction) whereby an organism moves (orientation movement) either towards (positive taxis) or away from (negative taxis) the stimulus. A taxis differs from a turning response or tropism in that the organism has mobility and demonstrates guided movement to or away from the stimulus (Kendeigh, 1961). For example, flagellate protozoans of the Genus Euglena move towards a light source. Here the directional stimulus is light, and the orientation movement is towards the light. This reaction or behaviour is a positive one to light and specifically termed a positive phototaxis. Phototaxis, then, is a response to a light stimulus. Many other types of taxes that have been identified, and named using one of the following prefixes to specify the stimulus eliciting a response:

baro- – pressure. See barotaxis

chemo- – chemical, See chemotaxis

galvano- – current (electricity)

geo- – gravity. See geotaxis

hydro- – moisture. See hydrotaxis

photo- – light. See phototaxis

rheo- – current (flow). See rheotaxis

thermo- – temperature. See thermotaxis

thigmo- – contact (touch). See thigmotaxis

Depending on the type of sensory organs present, taxes can be classified as klinotaxes, where an organism continuously samples the environment to determine the direction of a stimulus, tropotaxes, where bilateral sense organs are utilized to determine the stimulus direction, and telotaxes, similar to tropotaxes but a single organ suffices to establish the orientation movement.

• See also: haptotaxis, durotaxis, kinesis.

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is wondering if she will actually make it out tonight as the taxis dont seem to want to come anywhere near my street!
JoMoFo (Jo Waddington) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:45:47 -0000
is wondering if she will actually make it out tonight as the taxis dont seem to want to come anywhere near my street!
taxi.: At CDG there will be HUNDREDS of taxis lined up ready to whisk you into the city. Have .. http://bit.ly/8SwObV via @TripAdvisor
AllAboutParis (Maggie Battista) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:36:43 -0000
taxi.: At CDG there will be HUNDREDS of taxis lined up ready to whisk you into the city. Have .. http://bit.ly/8SwObV via @TripAdvisor
@emilyfannon Manchester, where mates have been since lunch... Bit jealo Subscribe to Taxis RSS feed