autoinductive

Autoinductive is an adjective describing a process, mechanism, or system that initiates or sustains itself through internal feedback, the output of the system influencing its own input without external prompting. The term is not tied to a single discipline and its precise usage varies across fields, often overlapping with concepts such as self-regulation, autocatalysis, or feedback loops.

In biology and microbiology, autoinduction or autoinductive regulation refers to gene expression regimes that are triggered by signals produced within the same population. In quorum sensing, bacteria secrete signaling molecules called autoinducers that, once their concentration reaches a threshold, induce transcription of target genes across the community. This self-stimulating behavior coordinates activities such as bioluminescence, virulence, and biofilm formation.

In systems chemistry or engineering, autoinductive processes describe feedback where a product promotes its own formation or activity, potentially stabilizing or amplifying a response. This is distinct from autocatalysis, where a product accelerates a reaction; autoinduction emphasizes regulatory or signaling feedback that modulates system state.

In electronics, self-inductive effects are usually described as inductance rather than autoinduction; the term autoinductive is uncommon in formal terminology and may appear only as a descriptive metaphor.

See also: autoinduction, quorum sensing, feedback loop, self-regulation, autocatalysis.