Global asymptotic stability of plant-seed bank models (Q2510387)

This paper deals with the global asymptotic stability of a mathematical plant-seed model. Let \(n_t\) be the plant population at time \(t\) and let \(s_{j,t}\) be the seeds that are \(j\) time-steps old at time \(t,\) where \(j=1, 2,\ldots, N\). Then, the analytic description of the model is the following: \[ \begin{aligned} n_{t+1} & =An_t+bf(\tilde{y}_t), \quad\text{where \(\tilde{y}_t= \alpha_1h(c^Tn_t)+\alpha_2s_{1,t}+\cdots\alpha_{N+1}s_{N,t}\)}\\ s_{1,t+1} & =\gamma_1h(c^Tn_t),\\ s_{2,t+1} & =\gamma_2s_{1,t},\\ & \vdots \\ s_{N-1,t+1} & =\gamma_{N-1}s_{N-2,t},\\ s_{N,t+1}& =\gamma_Ns_{N-1,t}+\gamma_{N+1}s_{N,t}.\end{aligned} \] Here, \(A\) is a linear operator, the functions \(f, h\) satisfy certain conditions and the coefficients \(\alpha_j, \gamma_j\) take real values in the interval (0,1). Section 3 is devoted to the main results. More exactly, in Subsection 3.1, the case of density-independent seed production is investigated, which means that \(h(y)=y\) and \(f(y)=py,\) for some \(p>0.\) The results are based on the assumption that the spectral radius of \(A\) is assumed to be less than 1. In Subsection 3.2, the authors discuss the same problem for the case of seed production with the so-called contest competition. In this case, it is assumed that the function \(h\) is increasing and concave down on the interval \([0,+\infty)\), with \(h(0)=0\) and \(h(y)\leq y,\) for all \(y\geq 0.\) In Subsection 3.3, the authors consider the so-called scramble competition, where \(h(0)=0,\) \(h\) is concave down in a neighborhood of 0 and it tends to 0 at \(+\infty.\) The key tool here is the Lipschitzian behavior of \(h.\) An application of the model to the plant of \textit{Cirsium palustre} (L), is presented in Section 4, with the functions \(f, h\) being of Holling type. A full discussion of the general model is given in Section 5 and the paper closes with three appendices containing the analytic proofs of the stability results.