How does school size affect tail beat frequency in turbulent water?

Halsey, Lewis G.; Wright, Serena; Rácz, Anita; Metcalfe, Julian D.; Killen, Shaun S.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.01.015

“…The fluctuation of lateral and longitudinal forces may also affect the stability in fish swimming. Halsey et al [14] notice that fish may not be able to maintain station relative to their neighbors when they swim in a turbulent water stream. It is logical to conjecture that the leader’s wake can have a similar impact on the followers even if the ambient flow is laminar.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interestingly, they found that all members of the school received energetic benefit regardless of their spatial position relative to neighbors. Halsey et al [14] examined how water turbulence affected the tail beat frequency of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax swimming in schools of different size. They reported a trend for attenuation of energy advantages which they explained by frequent short-term changes in fish position mediated by the turbulence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the energetics and stability of a minimal fish school

Li

¹

,

Kolomenskiy

²

,

H

³

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The physical basis for fish schooling is examined using three-dimensional numerical simulations of a pair of swimming fish, with kinematics and geometry obtained from experimental data. Energy expenditure and efficiency are evaluated using a cost of transport function, while the effect of schooling on the stability of each swimmer is examined by probing the lateral force and the lateral and longitudinal force fluctuations. We construct full maps of the aforementioned quantities as functions of the spatial pattern of the swimming fish pair and show that both energy expenditure and stability can be invoked as possible reasons for the swimming patterns and tail-beat synchronization observed in real fish. Our results suggest that high cost of transport zones should be avoided by the fish. Wake capture may be energetically unfavorable in the absence of kinematic adjustment. We hereby hypothesize that fish may restrain from wake capturing and, instead, adopt side-to-side configuration as a conservative strategy, when the conditions of wake energy harvesting are not satisfied. To maintain a stable school configuration, compromise between propulsive efficiency and stability, as well as between school members, ought to be considered.

show abstract

“…Interestingly, they found that all members 32 of the school received energetic benefit regardless of their spatial position relative to 33 neighbors. Halsey et al [14] examined how water turbulence affected the tail beat 34 frequency of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax swimming in schools of different size. They 35 reported a trend for attenuation of energy advantages which they explained by frequent 36 short-term changes in fish position mediated by the turbulence.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fluctuation of lateral and longitudinal forces may also affect the 260 stability in fish swimming. Halsey et al [14] notice that fish may not be able to maintain 261 station relative to their neighbors when they swim in a turbulent water stream. It is 262 logical to conjecture that the leader's wake can have a similar impact on the followers 263 even if the ambient flow is laminar.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the energetics and stability of a minimal fish school

Li

¹

,

Kolomenskiy

²

,

Líu

³

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The physical basis for fish schooling is examined using three-dimensional numerical simulations of a pair of swimming fish, with kinematics and geometry obtained from experimental data. Energy expenditure and efficiency are evaluated using a cost of transport function, while the effect of schooling on the stability of each swimmer is examined by probing the lateral force and the lateral and longitudinal force fluctuations. We construct full maps of the aforementioned quantities as functions of the spatial pattern of the swimming fish pair and show that both energy expenditure and stability can be invoked as possible reasons for the swimming patterns and tail-beat synchronization observed in real fish. Our results suggest that high cost of transport zones should be avoided by the fish. Wake capture may be energetically unfavorable in the absence of kinematic adjustment. We hereby hypothesize that fish may restrain from wake capturing and, instead, adopt side-to-side configuration as a conservative strategy, when the conditions of wake energy harvesting are not satisfied. To maintain a stable school configuration, compromise between propulsive efficiency and stability, as well as between school members, ought to be considered. 2 result from complex social reasons [1-4]. Depending on the species, animals aggregate 3 and modulate group cohesion to improve foraging and reproductive success, avoid 4 predators or facilitate predation. Global cohesive decision and action for the whole 5 group result from different types of interaction at the local scale. Fish schools, for 6 instance, are an archetypal example of how local interactions lead to complex global 7 decisions and motions [5]. Fish interact through vision but also by sensing the 8 surrounding flow using their lateral line system [6]. From the fluid dynamics perspective, 9 hydrodynamic interactions between neighbors have often been associated with swimming 10 efficiency strategies, considering how each individual in the school is affected by the 11 vortical flows produced by its neighbors. Breder [7] already recognized the importance 12 of this issue, and more recent works have described how fish make use of vortices when 13 swimming through an unsteady flow, whether produced by neighboring fish or by other 14 March 27, 2019 1/14 features in the environment (see e.g. the review by Liao [8]). Concerning collaborative 15interactions between swimming fish, the first clear picture was proposed in the early 16 70's by Weihs' pioneering work [9]. He focused on interactions within a two-dimensional 17 layer of a three-dimensional school, and proposed an idealized two-dimensional model in 18 which each individual in the fish school places itself to benefit from the wakes generated 19 by its two nearest neighbors, giving rise to a precise diamond-like pattern. 20Weihs' theory has been followed by extensive experimental verification generally 21 comforting the idea of decreased energetic cost of locomotion in fish schools. Thus, 50We are only aware of two previous three-di...

show abstract

“…In their natural fluvial or lotic habitat, they may not experience the stable, laminar flow conditions that facilitate the hydrodynamic benefits of group swimming. Increased turbulence, such as the conditions of complex flows in a natural stream, reduces these benefits (Halsey et al ., 2018). Selection may not have favoured group coordination of swimming behaviour in this species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group swimming behaviour and energetics in bluegillLepomis macrochirusand rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss

Currier

¹

,

Rouse

²

,

Coughlin

³

2020

Journal of Fish Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Group swimming size influences metabolic energy consumption and swimming behaviour in fishes. Hydrodynamic flows and vortices of other fish are thought to be beneficial in terms of the energetic costs of swimming. Similarly, abiotic obstructions have been shown to have similar benefits with respect to metabolic consumption in swimming fish such as rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. The current study works to examine metabolic rates and swimming behaviours as a function of group swimming with bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus and O. mykiss. Fishes were subjected to individual and group swimming in a respiratory swim tunnel to determine oxygen consumption as a proxy for the metabolic rate of swimming fish. In addition, fish movements within the swim tunnel test chamber were tracked to examine group swimming behaviour. We hypothesized that fish would benefit metabolically from group swimming. In the case of O. mykiss, we also hypothesized that groups would benefit from the presence of an abiotic structure, as has been previously observed in fish swimming individually. Our results suggest that the influence of group size on swimming metabolism is species specific. While L. macrochirus show decreased metabolic rate when swimming in a group compared to individually, O. mykiss did not show such a metabolic benefit from group swimming.

show abstract

How does school size affect tail beat frequency in turbulent water?

Abstract: The energy savings that sea bass experience from schooling are affected by flow speed or turbulence, moderated by group size.

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

On the energetics and stability of a minimal fish school

On the energetics and stability of a minimal fish school

On the energetics and stability of a minimal fish school

Group swimming behaviour and energetics in bluegillLepomis macrochirusand rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About