A Logistic-Harvest Model with Allee Effect under Multiplicative Noise

In this work we construct individual-based models that give rise to the generalized logistic model at the mean-field deterministic level and that allow us to interpret the parameters of these models in terms of individual interactions. We also study the effect of internal fluctuations on the long-time dynamics for the different models that have been widely used in the literature, such as the theta-logistic and Savageau models. In particular, we determine the conditions for po...

In large but finite populations, weak demographic stochasticity due to random birth and death events can lead to population extinction. The process is analogous to the escaping problem of trapped particles under random forces. Methods widely used in studying such physical systems, for instance, Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) and Fokker-Planck methods, can be applied to solve similar biological problems. In this article, we comparatively analyse applications of WKB and Fokker...

This paper proposes a non-phenomenological model of population growth that is based on the interactions between the individuals that compose the system. It is assumed that the individuals interact cooperatively and competitively. As a consequence of this interaction, it is shown that some well-known phenomenological population growth models (such as the Malthus, Verhulst, Gompertz, Richards, Von Foerster, and power-law growth models) are special cases of the model presented h...

In this Note, we describe the stationary equilibria and the asymptotic behaviour of an heterogeneous logistic reaction-diffusion equation under the influence of autonomous or time-periodic forcing terms. We show that the study of the asymptotic behaviour in the time-periodic forcing case can be reduced to the autonomous one, the last one being described in function of the "size" of the external perturbation. Our results can be interpreted in terms of maximal sustainable yield...

Stochastic fluctuations are central to the understanding of extinction dynamics. In the context of population models they allow for the description of the transition from the vicinity of a non-trivial fixed point of the deterministic dynamics to a trivial fixed point, where the population has become extinct. To characterize analytically the fluctuations of a given stochastic population model, one can operate within the so-called linear-noise approximation. Here the fluctuatio...

We present an explicit unified stochastic model of fluctuations in population size due to random birth, death, density-dependent competition and environmental fluctuations. Stochastic dynamics provide insight into small populations, including processes such as extinction, that cannot be correctly treated by deterministic methods. We present exact analytical and simulation-based results for extinction times of our stochastic model and compare the different effects of environme...

We consider the problem of finding optimal strategies that maximize the average growth-rate of multiplicative stochastic processes. For a geometric Brownian motion the problem is solved through the so-called Kelly criterion, according to which the optimal growth rate is achieved by investing a constant given fraction of resources at any step of the dynamics. We generalize these finding to the case of dynamical equations with finite carrying capacity, which can find applicatio...

We investigate the impact of Allee effect and dispersal on the long-term evolution of a population in a patchy environment, focusing on whether a population already established in one patch either successfully invades an adjacent empty patch or undergoes a global in-all-patch extinction. Our study is based on the combination of analytical and numerical results for both a deterministic two-patch model and its stochastic analog. The deterministic model has either two or four at...

This paper considers stochastic population dynamics driven by Levy noise. The contributions of this paper lie in that (a) Using Khasminskii-Mao theorem, we show that the stochastic differential equation associated with the model has a unique global positive solution; (b) Applying an exponential martingale inequality with jumps, we discuss the asymptotic pathwise estimation of such model.

We consider the harvesting of a population in a stochastic environment whose dynamics in the absence of harvesting is described by a one dimensional diffusion. Using ergodic optimal control, we find the optimal harvesting strategy which maximizes the asymptotic yield of harvested individuals. To our knowledge, ergodic optimal control has not been used before to study harvesting strategies. However, it is a natural framework because the optimal harvesting strategy will never b...