Biological Delay Systems: Linear Stability Theory: 9 (Cambridge Studies in Mathematical Biology, Series Number 9) - Softcover

MacDonald, N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521048168 ISBN 13: 9780521048163

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2008

Synopsis

In studying the dynamics of populations, whether of animals, plants or cells, it is crucial to allow for intrinsic delays, due to such things as gestation, maturation or transport. This book is concerned with one of the fundamental questions in the analysis of the effect of delays, namely determining whether they effect the stability of steady states. The analysis is presented for one or two such delays treated both as discrete, where an event which occurred at a precise time in the past has an effect now, and distributed, where the delay is averaged over the population's history. Both of these types occur in biological contexts. The method used to tackle these questions is linear stability analysis which leads to an understanding of the local stability. By avoiding global questions, the author has kept the mathematical prerequisites to a minimum, essentially advanced calculus and ordinary differential equations.

About this title

Book Description

In studying the dynamics of populations, whether of animals, plants or cells, it is crucial to allow for delays such as those due to gestation, maturation or transport. This book deals with a fundamental question in the analysis of the effects of delays, namely whether they affect the stability of steady states.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521048168
• ISBN 13: 9780521048163
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248