RUI: Energetics and Biomechanics of Formation Swimming in Ducklings

已知许多动物物种以有组织的队形行进，例如鱼群和v形队形的迁徙鹅。人们认为，以这种队形运动可以在游泳或飞行时节省能量。这将使群体中的动物个体受益，因为它们可以以比单独旅行更快的速度或更远的距离旅行。类似的情况也出现在人类自行车手或赛车上，它们使用一种叫做“牵引力”的技术来提高燃油经济性和整体速度。过去测量动物地层的这种效益的尝试取得了有限的成功，因为动物地层的大小和复杂性使研究人员无法直接测量地层移动带来的任何能量经济。这个项目将尝试通过绿头鸭的编队游泳来测量能量经济性。研究小鸭子的优点是，小鸭子以简单的直线编队游泳，而且这个编队很小，很容易在实验室里进行研究。一群被印上印记的小鸭子将被训练以不同的速度在水道中跟随一个诱饵游泳。每只动物的能量消耗将通过操纵群体规模、是否存在诱饵和雏鸭的年龄来进行比较。代谢率，由耗氧量测量，将表明任何能量节约游泳编队。同时，录像将详细记录小鸭子的划水动作。对这些运动的分析可以用流体动力学模型来计算游泳过程中消耗的能量，并确定地层中的特定位置是否能提供能量经济性。此外，还将进行实验，将染料注入雏鸭周围的水中，以显示水流的模式。这可以提供对提高能源经济性的物理原因的洞察。这项研究的结果将为动物在编队移动时可以节省多少能量提供经验数据。

A number of animal species are known to travel in organized formations, such as fish schools and the V-shaped formations of migrating geese. It is believed that moving in such formation may allow energy conservation during swimming or flying. This would benefit individual animals in the group by allowing them to travel at higher speeds or over longer distances than if they traveled alone. A similar situation is observed for human cyclists or race cars which use a technique called "drafting" to increase fuel economy and overall speed. Past attempts to measure such benefits for animal formations have met with limited success, because the size and complexity of animal formations has prevented researchers from directly measuring any energy economy derived from formation travel. This project will attempt to measure energy economy by formation swimming in mallard ducklings. The advantages of studying ducklings are that ducklings swim in a simple, straight line formation, and the formation is small enough to be easily studied in the laboratory. Groups of imprinted ducklings will be trained to swim at various speeds in a water channel while following a decoy. Comparisons of energy expenditure per animal will be made by manipulating group size, presence or absence of decoy, and age of ducklings. The metabolic rate, measured from oxygen consumption, will indicate any energy economy by swimming in formation. Simultaneously, video recordings will be made to detail the paddling motions of the ducklings. Analysis of these motions can be used with a hydrodynamic model to compute the energy expended during swimming and to determine if particular positions in a formation provide energy economy. In addition, experiments will be conducted in which a dye injected into the water around the ducklings will show the pattern of water flow. This can provide insight into the physical causes for increased energy economy. The results of this study will provide empirical data as to the extent of energy that can be saved as animals move in formation.