Optimal control for management of an invasive plant species

Invasive plant populations typically consist of a large (main) focus and several smaller outlier populations. Management of the spread of invasives requires repeated control measures, constrained by limited funding and effort. Posing this as a control problem, we investigate whether it is best to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andrew J. Whittle, Suzanne Lenhart, Louis J. Gross
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIMS Press 2006-10-01
Series:Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering
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Online Access:https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/mbe.2007.4.101
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Summary:Invasive plant populations typically consist of a large (main) focus and several smaller outlier populations. Management of the spread of invasives requires repeated control measures, constrained by limited funding and effort. Posing this as a control problem, we investigate whether it is best to apply control to the main focus, the outlier populations, or some combination of these. We first formulate and solve a discrete-time optimal control problem to determine where control is best applied over a finite time horizon. However, if limited funds are available for control, this optimal solution may not be feasible. In this case, we add an additional constraint to account for the fixed budget and solve the new optimality system. Our results have a variety of practical implications for invasive species management.
ISSN:1551-0018