Measure-valued solutions for a hierarchically size-structured population (Q2575072)

In this paper, a population model is presented. In particular, a general hierarchically size-structured with nonlinear growth, mortality and reproduction rates is studied. The novelties of this work are as follows: (1) The vital rate depends explicitly on the individual's size and the environment. (2) The theory is not restricted to a growth rate which is a non-increasing function of the environment. (3) The authors do not assume that the growth rate is always positive. (4) No compatibility conditions are imposed on the initial data. The solution to the model can become a measure-valued function in a finite time even if the initial data is very smooth. To establish existence of solutions the authors apply an approach which is based on the vanishing viscosity method. The viscous model is defined and a priori bounds for a special case are established. The limit of solutions to the viscous model exists and defines an entropy solution. Uniqueness of the viscosity limit is also proved. Finally, the authors show that the same results hold for the general equation.