The evolutionary limit for models of populations interacting competitively via several resources (Q541283)

The authors are interested in the dynamics of a population subject to mutation and selection driven by competition for resources. Each individual in the population is characterized by a quantitative phenotypic trait \(x\in \mathbb R\) (for example the size of individuals, their age at maturity, or their rate of intake of nutrients). The following equation \[ \partial_t u_\varepsilon(t,x)=\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\biggl( \sum_{i=1}^kI_i^\varepsilon(t)\eta_i(x)-1\biggr) u_\varepsilon(t,x)+M_\varepsilon(u_\varepsilon)(t,x),\tag{1} \] where \(M_\varepsilon\) is the mutation kernel \[ M_\varepsilon(f)(x)=\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\int_\mathbb R K(z)\biggl(f(x+\varepsilon z)-f(x)\biggr)\,d z,\tag{2} \] for a \(K\in C_c^\infty (\mathbb R)\) such that \(\int_\mathbb R zK(z)\,dz=0\), is studied. This equation is completed with equations for the resources \(I_i\), namely \[ I_i(t)=\frac{c_i}{1+\int_\mathbb R\eta_i(x)u_\varepsilon(x)\,dx}, \quad\text{where }c_i>0. \] This corresponds to an assumption of fast resources dynamics with respect to the evolutionary dynamics. The resource concentrations are assumed to be in a (quasi-)equilibrium at each time \(t\), which depends on the current concentrations \(u^\varepsilon\). The limit \(\varepsilon\to 0\) corresponds to a simultaneous scaling of fast selection and small mutations. The goal of this paper is to prove the convergence of \(\varphi_\varepsilon\) to a solution of \[ \partial_t\varphi=\sum_{i=1}^kI_i(t)\eta_i(x)-1+H(\partial_x\varphi), \] where \(\partial_t\varphi_\varepsilon=\sum_{i=1}^kI_i^\varepsilon(t)\eta_i(x)-1+H_\varepsilon(\varphi_\varepsilon)\), \[ H_\varepsilon(f)=\int_\mathbb RK(z)\bigg(e^\frac{(f(x+\varepsilon z)-f(x))}{\varepsilon}-1\bigg)\,dz. \] The new resulting model describes the evolution of a population as Dirac masses and is formally well posed. Moreover, from the point of view of the biological interpretation, it is interesting to have a population equilibrium.