Mapping spatial patterns to energetic benefits in groups of flow-coupled swimmers

The coordinated motion of animal groups through fluids is thought to reduce the cost of locomotion to individuals in the group. However, the connection between the spatial patterns observed in collectively moving animals and the energetic benefits at each position within the group remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we study the spontaneous emergence of cohesive formations in groups of fish, modeled as flapping foils, all heading in the same direction. We show in pairwise formations and with increasing group size that (1) in side-by-side arrangements, the reciprocal nature of flow coupling results in an equal distribution of energy requirements among all members, with reduction in cost of locomotion for swimmers flapping inphase but an increase in cost for swimmers flapping antiphase, and (2) in inline arrangements, flow coupling is non-reciprocal for all flapping phase, with energetic savings in favor of trailing swimmers, but only up to a finite number of swimmers, beyo...,

We formulate computational models that capture the main hydrodynamic features of single and groups of swimming fish. Namely, we represent each fish as a freely-swimming hydrofoil undergoing pitching oscillations about its leading edge. We compute fluid-foil interactions using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations and using vortex sheet simulations.

, , # Mapping spatial patterns to energetic benefits in groups of flow-coupled swimmers

The dataset contains the simulation data for paper entitled \"Mapping Spatial Patterns to Energetic Benefits in Groups of Flow-coupled Swimmers\" published on [Elife](https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.96129.2).

Numerical simulations are performed using both Vortex Sheet Method (VSM) and Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) to study the energetic benefits and school cohesion of flow-coupled flapping swimmers. We study the spontaneous emergence of cohesive formations in groups of fish, modeled as flapping foils, all heading in the same direction. We show in pairwise formations and with increasing group size that (1) in side-by-side arrangements, the reciprocal nature of flow coupling results in an equal distribution of energy requirements among all members, with reduction in cost of locomotion for swimmers flapping inphase but an increase in cost for swimmers flapping antiphase, and (2) in inline arrangements, flow ...,