Population models with singular equilibrium

• Published in: Mathematical biosciences Vol. 208; no. 1; pp. 270 - 299
• Main Authors: Berezovskaya, Faina S., Novozhilov, Artem S., Karev, Georgy P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2007
• Subjects: Algorithms; Animals; Chagas Disease - transmission; Communicable Diseases - transmission; Ecosystem; Elliptic sector; Host-Parasite Interactions - physiology; Humans; Models, Biological; Non-analytic equilibrium; Pathogen transmission; Population Dynamics; Population extinction; Predatory Behavior - physiology; Ratio-dependent response; Ratio-dependent response; Elliptic sector; Pathogen transmission; Non-analytic equilibrium; Population extinction
• ISSN: 0025-5564; 1879-3134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2006.10.006

A class of models of biological population and communities with a singular equilibrium at the origin is analyzed; it is shown that these models can possess a dynamical regime of deterministic extinction, which is crucially important from the biological standpoint. This regime corresponds to the presence of a family of homoclinics to the origin, so-called elliptic sector. The complete analysis of possible topological structures in a neighborhood of the origin, as well as asymptotics to orbits tending to this point, is given. An algorithmic approach to analyze system behavior with parameter changes is presented. The developed methods and algorithm are applied to existing mathematical models of biological systems. In particular, we analyze a model of anticancer treatment with oncolytic viruses, a parasite–host interaction model, and a model of Chagas’ disease.