A time-delay model of single-species growth with stage structure (Q2640495)

The authors consider the global asymptotic stability of the positive equilibrium of a single-species growth model with stage structure consisting of immature and mature stages. Let \(x_ i(t)\) and \(x_ m(t)\) denote the concentration of immature and mature populations, respectively. We assume that the populations entering the environment over a time interval equal to the length of time from birth to maturity is \(\tau >0\). The model takes the form \[ \dot x_ i(t)=\alpha x_ m(t)-\gamma x_ i(t)-e^{-\gamma \tau}\phi (t-\tau),\quad \dot x_ m(t)=e^{-\gamma \tau}\phi (t-\tau)-\beta x^ 2_ m(t),\quad 0<t\leq \tau; \] \[ \dot x_ i(t)=\alpha x_ m(t)-\gamma x_ i(t)-\alpha e^{-\gamma \tau}x_ m(t-\tau),\quad \dot x_ m(t)=\alpha e^{-\gamma \tau}x_ m(t-\tau)-\beta x^ 2_ m(t),\quad t>\tau, \] where \(\phi\) (t) is the birth rate of \(x_ i(t)\) at time t, -\(\tau\leq t\leq 0\), and \(\alpha,\beta,\gamma >0\) are constants. Oscillation and nonoscillation of solutions are addressed analytically and numerically. The effect of the delay on the population at equilibrium is also considered.