Stability results for delayed-recruitment models in population dynamics (Q790079)

This paper deals with discrete models of population dynamics (for populations of whales). Dividing the population into a number of classes leads to a recurrence system: \(\bar N(t+1)=F(\bar N(t))\), which can be reduced to a scalar delayed difference equation: \(N(t+1)=sN(t)+(1- s)g(N(t-k)) (0<s<1).\) The interest of the paper is that the questions of stability and global stability are considered via a Lyapunov function associated to the system: \(V:{\mathbb{R}}^ n\to {\mathbb{R}}^+\), such that: V(F(x))\(\leq V(x)\), \(x\in {\mathbb{R}}^ n\). V is in fact obtained from a function v having the same properties with respect to the scalar recurrence equation \(x_{n+1}=g(x_ n)\). The main result is that if v is convex and \(v(x)\to +\infty\), \(x\to +\infty\), then the non-trivial equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable (we observe that the convexity here is certainly meant in the non-degenerate sense: there is at most one point \(x_ 0\) with \(0\in \partial v(x_ 0))\). This result is then localized \(({\mathbb{R}}^ n\) replaced by a subset G), and illustrated with several ''wellknown baleen whale models''.