  Energy saving mechanisms are ubiquitous in nature. Aerodynamic and
hydrodynamic drafting, vortice uplift, Bernoulli suction, thermoregulatory
coupling, path following, physical hooks, synchronization, and cooperation are
only some of the better-known examples. While drafting mechanisms also appear
in non-biological systems such as sedimentation and particle vortices, the
broad spectrum of these mechanisms appears more diversely in biological systems
including bacteria, spermatozoa, various aquatic species, birds, land animals,
semi-fluid dwellers like turtle hatchlings, as well as human systems. We
present the thermodynamic framework for energy saving mechanisms, and we review
evidence in favor of the variation range hypothesis. This hypothesis posits
that, as an evolutionary process, the variation range between strongest and
weakest group members converges on the equivalent energy saving quantity that
is generated by the energy saving mechanism. We also review self-organized
structures that emerge due to energy saving mechanisms, including convective
processes that can be observed in many systems over both short and long time
scales, as well as high collective output processes in which a form of
collective position locking occurs.
