The dynamics of population models with distributed maturation periods (Q789347)

The authors consider the dynamics of a subpopulation of adults in a closed system where only the adults compete and where aging is nonuniform. Under these conditions, the total adult population dynamics is described by the integro-differential equation derived recently by the same authors [see e. g. the first author, Simple age-structure models of laboratory insect populations, Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. of Strathclyde (1982)]. Use of the weighting function based on the gamma distribution permits not only to characterize adequately some observed maturation- period distributions, but also to make local-stability and numerical analyses straightforward. The comparison of the behavior of the distributed maturation-period model with that of the constant maturation-period model shows that the local stability properties of the former approach those of the latter. Starting from several examples of insect populations, the conclusion is made that although quite often a full maturation-period distribution should be incorporated in a given model, in many cases a constant-delay approximation is sufficient.