Transferability of environmental favourability models in geographic space: The case of the Iberian desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in Portugal and Spain

Transferring distribution models between different geographical areas may be problematic, as the performance of models outside their original scope is hard to predict. A modelling procedure is needed that gets the gist of the environmental descriptors of a distribution area, without either overfitting to the training data or overestimating the species’ distribution potential.We tested the transferability power of the favourability function, a generalized linear model, on the distribution of the Iberian desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in the Iberian territories of Portugal and Spain.We also tested the effects of two of the main potential constraints on model transferability: the analysed ranges of the predictor variables, and the completeness of the species distribution data. We modelled 10 km×10km presence/absence data from Portugal and Spain separately, extrapolated each model to the other country, and compared predictions with observations. The Spanish model, despite arguably containing more false absences, showed good predictive ability in Portugal. The Portuguese model, whose predictors ranged between only a subset of the values observed in Spain, overestimated desman distribution when transferred.We discuss possible reasons for this differential model behaviour, and highlight the importance of this kind of models for prediction and conservation applications

The Traceless Oldroyd viscoelastic model

In the traceless Oldroyd viscoelastic model, the viscoelastic extra stress tensor is decomposed into its traceless (deviatoric) and spherical parts, leading to a reformulation of the classical Oldroyd model. The equivalence of the two models is established comparing model predictions for simple test cases. The new model is validated using several 2D benchmark problems. The structure and behavior of the new model are discussed and the future use of the new model in envisioned, both on the theoretical and numerical perspectives.

Specific shear-dependent viscoelastic third-grade fluid model

A specific modified constitutive equation for a third-grade fluid is proposed so that the model be suitable for applications where shear-thinning or shear-thickening may occur. For that, we use the Cosserat theory approach reducing the exact three-dimensional equations to a system depending only on time and on a single spatial variable. This one-dimensional system is obtained by integrating the linear momentum equation over the cross-section of the tube, taking a velocity field approximation provided by the Cosserat theory. From this reduced system, we obtain the unsteady equations for the wall shear stress and mean pressure gradient depending on the volume flow rate, Womersley number, viscoelastic coefficient and flow index over a finite section of the tube geometry with constant circular cross-section.

A traceless variant of the Johnson-Segalman viscoelastic model

A traceless variant of the Johnson-Segalman viscoelastic model is presented. The viscoelastic extra stress tensor is de composed into its traceless (deviatoric) and spherical parts, leading to a reformulation of the classical Johnson-Segalman model. The equivalente of the two models is established comparing model predictions for simple test cases. The new model is validated using several 2D benchmark problems.The structure and behavior of the new model are discussed.