# Swimming in a school shelters fish from turbulence

## TL;DR

Fish that swim in schools experience less energy expenditure in turbulent water due to the shelter provided by their group.

## Contribution

The study experimentally demonstrates that schooling behavior significantly reduces the transport cost for fish in turbulent environments.

## Key findings

- Schooling fish experience reduced energy costs in turbulent flow.
- The study provides empirical evidence supporting the benefits of group movement in turbulent conditions.

## Abstract

Much has been written about the energetic effects of animals moving in schools or flocks, but experimental results are few and often ambiguous. A new study in PLOS Biology shows that schooling greatly reduces the cost of transport for fish in turbulent flow.

Much has been written about the energetic effects of animals moving in schools or flocks, but experimental results are few and often ambiguous. This Primer explores a new study in PLOS Biology which shows that schooling greatly reduces the cost of transport for fish in turbulent flow.