Stability and instability of equilibria of an equation of size structured population dynamics (Q1414207)

Let \(u(x,t)\) be a population density with respect to the size, \(x\in[0,l)\), \(l\leq \infty\), at time \(t\). Consider the following partial differential equation modelling the dynamics of this population: \[ \left\{ \begin{aligned} u_t+V(P(t))u_x+m(P(t))u&=0, \quad \text{a.e. }x\in[0,l),\;t > 0, \\ V(P(t))u(0,t)&= \beta(P(t))P(t),\quad t >0,\\ u(x,0)= & u_0(x), \end{aligned}\right.\tag{1} \] where \(P(t)=\int_0^lu(x,t) dx\) is the total population at time \(t\), and \(V,\;m,\;\beta\) are the individual growth, mortality and fertility rates, respectively. Assume that the vital rates depend only on the total population, and that they are smooth and strictly positive. The first assumption above introduces some nonlinearities in the equation and in the boundary condition. The authors study the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the initial value problem and the existence of stationary solutions. They have validated the linearized stability principle for system (1), and then by calculating the spectrum of the linearization at an equilibrium, study the local stability of the equilibrium according to two situations: \(l=\infty\) or \(l <\infty\). It is meaningful and interesting that in the appendix the authors give sufficient or necessary conditions for all roots of some transcendental equations to have negative real parts.