Global dynamics of Nicholson's blowflies equation revisited: onset and termination of nonlinear oscillations (Q2637623)

In this paper, the authors revisit and study the following Nicholson's blowflies equation: \[ \dot N(t)=e^{-\delta \tau}f(N(t-\tau))-\gamma N(t), \tag{1} \] where \(N(t)\) represents the population density of sexually mature adults at time \(t\), \(f(N)=pNe^{-\alpha N}\), \(p\) is the maximum possible per capita egg production rate, \(1/\alpha\) is the population size at which the whole population reproduces at its maximum rate, \(\tau\) is the generation time or the time taken from eggs to sexually mature adults, \(\gamma\) is the per capita mortality rate of adults, \(\delta>0\) is the death rate of the immature population. The authors consider the time delay \(\tau\) as a bifurcation parameter and examine the onset and termination of Hopf bifurcations of equation (1) at a positive equilibrium. It is shown that equation (1) has only a finite number of Hopf bifurcation values and how branches of Hopf bifurcations are paired so the existence of periodic solutions with specific oscillation frequencies occurs only in bounded delay intervals. The global continuation of Hopf bifurcations is examined.