Two-phase Age-Structured Model of Solitarious and Gregarious Locust Population Dynamics

Abstract

In this paper we study a nonlinear age structured model of locust population dynamics with variable time of egg incubation that describes the phase polyphenism and behaviour of desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. The analysis of asymptotical stability of trivial and nontrivial equilibriums of autonomous system allows us to derive the conditions and understand the particularities of bidirectional phase transitions between solitarious and gregarious. Simulation of locust population dynamics with different conditions of phase transitions for autonomous and non-autonomous dynamical systems of our two phase age-structured competitive model with time delay exhibits the features of behaviour of documented outbreak dynamics of Schistocerca gregaria.