Models of age-dependent predation and cannibalism via the McKendrick equation (Q794955)

The author discusses (a) one species age-dependent models where cannibalism, i.e. eating of the young, serves both as a source of food and as a population control. The last assumption means that all newborns survive as P, the total population, approaches zero, whereas they all perish as P approaches infinity; (b) two species age-dependent (for the prey) models where the predation is either age-indiscriminate, or either the very young or very old are preyed upon. In the first case, the predator growth is governed by a simple Lotka-Volterra differential equation, in the second an age-weighted modification is introduced. The work is an extension of earlier work by the author [cf. Math. Biosci. 56, 27-46 (1981; Zbl 0461.92015)] and by the author and \textit{M. E. Gurtin}, [cf. SIAM J. Appl. Math. 42, 94-108 (1982; Zbl 0501.92021)], and the effort is to find periodic solutions using fixed point techniques or bifurcation techniques similar to those developed by J. Cushing. The fecundity function is chosen in most cases, except the last, so as to be able to reduce the equations to a system of ordinary differential equations. Most of the proofs of statements are sketchy or alluded to, but based on the previous work, the reviewer has no reason not to believe the plausible results obtained. The numerically obtained plots for the periodic solutions in the age-discriminate predation case are troublesome however, since they indicate a possibility of complete extinction of the prey if perturbations were to occur. This is similar to the case in the simplified classic Volterra model.