Evaluation Summary:
The manuscript describes an interesting phenomenon of long-range transport in self-organized canal structures formed in colonies of the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The authors measured and analyzed the fluid flows in these open channels, revealing that it is capable of supporting high-speed transport of outer membrane vesicles and bacterial cells over centimeters. This study sheds new light on the potential amplitude of cargo exchange among bacterial communities over long distances.
(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)