A finite difference approximation for a coupled system of nonlinear size-structured populations

An initial boundary value problem describing the dynamics of coupled size-structured subpopulations with nonlinear growth, reproduction and mortality rates was considered. The population was treated as being composed of several populations with different growth rates. The inverse problem of identifying the growth rate distribution was solved. It was shown that the generalized models differed crucially from the classical Sinko-Streifer models and dispersion of population density in age or size are absent in the classical models.