A numerical method based on pseudospectral collocation is proposed to approximate the eigenvalues of evolution operators for linear renewal equations, which are retarded functional equations of Volterra type. Rigorous error and convergence analyses are provided, together with numerical tests. The outcome is an efficient and reliable tool which can be used, for instance, to study the local asymptotic stability of equilibria and periodic solutions of nonlinear autonomous renewal equations. Fundamental applications can be found in population dynamics, where renewal equations play a central role.
Building from a continuous-time host-parasitoid model introduced by Murdoch et al. (Am Nat 129:263-282, 1987), we study the dynamics of a 2 host-parasitoid model assuming, for the sake of simplicity, that larval stages have a fixed duration. If each host is subjected to density-dependent mortality in its larval stage, we obtain explicit conditions for the existence of an equilibrium where the two host species coexist with the parasitoid. However, if host demography is density-independent, equilibrium coexistence is impossible. If at least one of the 1 host-parasitoid systems has an oscillatory dynamics (which happens under some parameter values), we found, through numerical bifurcation, that coexistence is favoured. Coexistence between the two hosts may occur along a periodic solution even without density-dependence. Models of this type may be relevant for the use of parasitoids as biocontrol agents of insect pests.
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