The paper presents the development of the field of urban drainage modelling known as dual drainage - an approach to rainfaill runoff simulation in which the numerical model takes into account not only the flow through the sewer system, but also the flow on the surface. The steps in model development are described, and necessary data, assumptions used and operations to be performed using GIS are discussed. The numerical model simultaneously handles the full dynamic equations of flow through the sewer system and simplified equations of the surface flow. The surface excess water (due to the limited capacity of inlets or to the hydraulic head in the sewer system reaching the ground level) is routed to the neighbour subcatchment (not necessarily the one attached to the downstream network node), using surface retentions, if any.

No abstract

In terrestrial animals with rigid protective structures, the ability to upright after being overturned can make the difference between life and death, especially in suboptimal thermal conditions or in the presence of predators. This trait is assumed to be under strong selection. Different factors can influence righting ability, body dimensions and body mass for instance. As these morphological traits diverge among populations, inter‐population variability in righting ability is expected. Previous studies on tortoises were performed within single populations and they usually focused on juveniles raised in captivity, precluding an assessment of the inter‐population variability in a natural (realistic) context. In the current study, we quantified the righting performance in four populations of free‐ranging adult tortoises. We found strong differences in righting success among populations and between genders, suggesting possible adaptations to local conditions. For instance, the topography (e.g. slopes) of each study site varied markedly. On average, males were more successful in righting themselves than females. Body size did not influence righting performances in males, but larger females were less successful compared to smaller ones. The success in righting was positively correlated with carapace domedness (height) and short bridges.

Contrary to an increasing number of papers that document sexual dimorphism in size (and⁄or shape) in adults, studies dealing with sex differences in newborn and juvenile snakes are surprisingly scarce. Data about ontogenetic shifts in sexual dimorphism are generally lacking and hence, it is unclear whether sex differences are set at birth or arise post-natally. In this study, we analyzed patterns of sexual dimorphism in body size, head dimensions and tail length (TL) among newborn, subadult and adult meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) from the Bjelasica Mt. in Montenegro. Patterns of sexual size dimorphisms differed among traits. There was no significant difference in head dimension of males and females, but adult snakes were sexually dimorphic in body size. Sexual differences in TL were evident since birth but changed in degree throughout ontogeny. Neonate meadow vipers presented highly significant inter-litter variation in the sexual dimorphism of all traits we have measured. Such family effects may have an important influence on extent of inter-sexual differences in snakes and should be included in analyses of sexual dimorphism.

Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is widely distributed in western and southern Europe. Most populations in the western part of the distribution range (e.g. Spain, France, Italy) are severely reduced, and relatively well studied, whilst the species is still abundant in eastern areas (i.e. the Balkans). However, essential biological information (e.g. main morphological, ecological, and behavioural characteristics) for the Balkans are still extremely limited. As reptiles exhibit strong geographic variation in most morphological, as well as life history traits, gathering data from distant areas is important. We present data from two populations of T. hermanni in Serbia, focusing on sexual dimorphism in body size and body shape. We found that almost all of the 43 morphological traits analysed were significantly different between sexes and that sexual size and sexual shape dimorphisms were not expressed in similar ways. Notably, sexual size dimorphism (SSD) was more pronounced than sexual shape dimorphism (SShD). Our analyses suggested that SShD is more stable than SSD, and that the scale of the focus (i.e. whole body proportions versus morphological details) is a key factor to test this notion. When general measurements were considered, the expected consistency of SShD between populations was verified; nevertheless, when more specific morphological attributes were considered, substantial variations were observed. These results provide a baseline for comparisons between populations to further examine geographic variation of sexual dimorphism.