Extinction and periodic oscillations in an age-structured population model in a patchy environ\-ment. (Q1425125)

This interesting paper deals with an age-structured single-species population model in a patch environment consisting of infinitely many patches. More precisely, the authors investigate an infinite system of delay differential equations of the form \[ \begin{multlined} \dot w_j(t)=(\mu/2\pi)\sum_{k=-\infty}^{+\infty}\beta_{\alpha}(j-k)b(w_k(t-r))+\\+ D_m[w_{j+1}(t)+w_{j-1}(t)-2w_j(t)]-d_mw_j(t),\end{multlined} \tag{\(*\)} \] \(t>0,\) \(j=0, \pm 1, \pm 2,\dots,\) suggested in [\textit{P. Weng}, \textit{H. Huang} and \textit{J. Wu}, IMA J. Appl. Math. 68, 409--439 (2003; Zbl 1048.35123)] and they continue the study of \((*)\) by investigating two further aspects: The first situation is when there is no nonzero spatially uniform equilibrium. This is done in section 2 of the paper, where it is proved that the population \((w_j)\) extincts as \(|j|\to +\infty,\) for any initial data \((\phi_j)\) that tends to zero, as \(|j|\to +\infty.\) The second aspect is presented in section 3 of the paper, where the occurrence of a Hopf bifurcation leads to the existence of periodic travelling waves.