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Energy conservation by collective movement in schooling fish
Yangfan Zhang1, George V Lauder1
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
Elife
|February 20, 2024
Summary
Fish schools save energy by swimming together, reducing total energy expenditure by up to 56%. This collective movement improves aerobic performance and speeds recovery, aiding predator evasion and explaining group locomotion prevalence.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior
- Biomechanics
- Physiology
Background:
- Coordinated group movement in aquatic animals is hypothesized to reduce locomotion costs.
- Direct energetic measurements supporting these benefits are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the energetic savings of collective movement in fish schools.
- To investigate the impact of schooling on aerobic and anaerobic metabolism during locomotion.
Main Methods:
- Metabolic energy contributions (aerobic and anaerobic) were measured in giant danio (Devario aequipinnatus) schools.
- Comparison of energy expenditure, aerobic performance, and recovery rates between schooling and solitary fish.
Main Results:
- Fish schools exhibit a minimum metabolic cost at approximately 1 body length per second.
- Schooling reduced total energy expenditure per tail beat by up to 56% compared to solitary fish.
- Schooling fish showed improved aerobic performance (44% higher) and reduced non-aerobic energy use (65% less) at maximum speeds, lowering total cost of transport by up to 53%.
Conclusions:
- Fluid-mediated collective movement significantly reduces energetic costs for fish.
- Energetic savings enhance both peak and repeated performance, potentially aiding predator evasion.
- These findings provide a physiological basis for the widespread occurrence of coordinated group locomotion in fishes.
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