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Bistability is a fundamental property of nonlinear systems and is found in many applied and theoretical studies of biological systems (populations and communities). In the simplest case it is expressed in the coexistence of diametrically opposed alternative stable equilibrium states of the system, and which of them will be achieved depends on the initial conditions. Bistability in simple models can lead to quad-stability as models become more complex, for example, when adding genetic, age and spatial structure. This occurs in different models from completely different subject area and leads to very interesting, often counterintuitive conclusions. In this article, we review such situations. The paper deals with bifurcations leading to bi- and quad-stability in mathematical models of the following biological objects. The first one is the system of two populations coupled by migration and under the action of natural selection, in which all genetic diversity is associated with a single diallelic locus with a significant difference in fitness for homo- and heterozygotes. The second is the system of two limited populations described by the Bazykin model or the Ricker model and coupled by migration. The third is a population with two age stages and density-dependent regulation of birth rate which is determined either only by population density, or additionally depends on the genetic structure of adjacent generations. We found that all these models have similar scenarios for the birth of equilibrium states that correspond to the formation of spatiotemporal inhomogeneity or to the differentiation by phenotypes of individuals from different age stages. Such inhomogeneity is a consequence of local bistability and appears as a result of a combination of pitchfork bifurcation (period doubling) and saddle-node bifurcation.

The dynamics of coupled elements’ ensembles are investigated in the context of description of spatio-temporal processes in the myocardium. Basic element is map-based model constructed by simplification and reduction of Luo-Rudy model. In particular, capabilities of the model in replication of different regimes of cardiac activity are shown, including excitable and oscillatory regimes. The dynamics of 1D and 2D lattices of coupled oscillatory elements with a random distribution of individual frequencies are considered. Effects of cluster synchronization and transition to global synchronization by increasing of coupling strength are discussed. Impulse propagation in the chain of excitable cells has been observed. Analysis of 2D lattice of excitable elements with target and spiral waves have been made. The characteristics of the spiral wave has been analyzed in depending on the individual parameters of the map and coupling strength between elements of the lattice. A study of mixed ensembles consisting of excitable and oscillatory elements with a gradient changing of the properties have been made, including the task for description of normal and pathological activity of the sinoatrial node.

Despite numerous achievements of modern science the problem of lightning initiation in an electrodeless thundercloud, the maximum electric field strength inside which is approximately an order of magnitude lower than the dielectric strength of air, remains unsolved. Although there is no doubt that discharge activity begins with the appearance of positive streamers, which can develop under approximately half the threshold electric field as compared to negative ones, it remains unexplored how cold weakly conducting streamer systems unite in a joint hot well-conducting leader channel capable of self-propagation due to effective polarization in a relatively small external field. In this study, we present a self-organizing transport model which is applied to the case of electric discharge tree formation in a thundercloud. So, the model is aimed at numerical simulation of the initial stage of lightning discharge development. Among the innovative features of the model are the absence of grid spacing, high spatiotemporal resolution, and consideration of temporal evolution of electrical parameters of transport channels. The model takes into account the widely known asymmetry between threshold fields needed for positive and negative streamers development. In our model, the resulting well-conducting leader channel forms due to collective effect of combining the currents of tens of thousands of interacting streamer channels each of which initially has negligible conductivity and temperature that does not differ from the ambient one. The model bipolar tree is a directed graph (it has both positive and negative parts). It has morphological and electrodynamic characteristics which are intermediate between laboratory long spark and developed lightning. The model has universal character which allows to use it in other tasks related to the study of transport (in the broad sense of the word) networks.

To study nonlinear effects of biological species interactions numerical-analytical approach is being developed. The approach is based on the cosymmetry theory accounting for the phenomenon of the emergence of a continuous family of solutions to differential equations where each solution can be obtained from the appropriate initial state. In problems of mathematical ecology the onset of cosymmetry is usually connected with a number of relationships between the parameters of the system. When the relationships collapse families vanish, we get a finite number of isolated solutions instead of a continuum of solutions and transient process can be long-term, dynamics taking place in a neighborhood of a family that has vanished due to cosymmetry collapse.

We consider a model for spatiotemporal competition of predators or prey with an account for directed migration, Holling type II functional response and nonlinear prey growth function permitting Alley effect. We found out the conditions on system parameters under which there is linear with respect to population densities cosymmetry. It is demonstated that cosymmetry exists for any resource function in case of heterogeneous habitat. Numerical experiment in MATLAB is applied to compute steady states and oscillatory regimes in case of spatial heterogeneity.

The dynamics of three population interactions (two predators and a prey, two prey and a predator) are considered. The onset of families of stationary distributions and limit cycle branching out of equlibria of a family that lose stability are investigated in case of homogeneous habitat. The study of the system for two prey and a predator gave a wonderful result of species coexistence. We have found out parameter regions where three families of stable solutions can be realized: coexistence of two prey in absence of a predator, stationary and oscillatory distributions of three coexisting species. Cosymmetry collapse is analyzed and long-term transient dynamics leading to solutions with the exclusion of one of prey or extinction of a predator is established in the numerical experiment.

Execution or violation of the principle of competitive exclusion in communities is the subject of many studies. The principle of competitive exclusion means that coexistence of species in community is impossible if the number of species exceeds the number of controlling mutually independent factors. At that time there are many examples displaying the violations of this principle in the natural systems. The explanations for this paradox vary from inexact identification of the set of factors to various types of spatial and temporal heterogeneities. One of the factors breaking the principle of competitive exclusion is intraspecific competition. This study holds the model of community with two species and one influencing factor with density-dependent mortality and spatial heterogeneity. For such models possibility of the existence of stable equilibrium is proved in case of spatial homogeneity and negative effect of the species on the factor. Our purpose is analysis of possible variants of dynamics of the system with spatial heterogeneity under the various directions of the species effect on the influencing factor. Numerical analysis showed that there is stable coexistence of the species agreed with homogenous spatial distributions of the species if the species effects on the influencing factor are negative. Density-dependent mortality and spatial heterogeneity lead to violation of the principle of competitive exclusion when equilibriums are Turing unstable. In this case stable spatial heterogeneous patterns can arise. It is shown that Turing instability is possible if at least one of the species effects is positive. Model nonlinearity and spatial heterogeneity cause violation of the principle of competitive exclusion in terms of both stable spatial homogenous states and quasistable spatial heterogeneous patterns.

The paper deals with a prey-predator model, which describes the spatiotemporal dynamics of plankton community and the nutrients. The system is described by reaction-diffusion-advection equations in a onedimensional vertical column of water in the surface layer. Advective term of the predator equation represents the vertical movements of zooplankton with velocity, which is assumed to be proportional to the gradient of phytoplankton density. This study aimed to determine the conditions under which these movements (taxis) lead to the spatially heterogeneous structures generated by the system. Assuming diffusion coefficients of all model components to be equal the instability of the system in the vicinity of stationary homogeneous state with respect to small inhomogeneous perturbations is analyzed.

Necessary conditions for the flow-induced instability were obtained through linear stability analysis. Depending on the local kinetics parameters, increasing the taxis rate leads to Turing or wave instability. This fact is in good agreement with conditions for the emergence of spatial and spatiotemporal patterns in a minimal phytoplankton–zooplankton model after flow-induced instabilities derived by other authors. This mechanism of generating patchiness is more general than the Turing mechanism, which depends on strong conditions on the diffusion coefficients.

While the taxis exceeding a certain critical value, the wave number corresponding to the fastest growing mode remains unchanged. This value determines the type of spatial structure. In support of obtained results, the paper presents the spatiotemporal dynamics of the model components demonstrating Turing-type pattern and standing wave pattern.

The spatiotemporal dynamics of a three-component model for food web is considered. The model describes the interactions among resource, prey and predator that consumes both species. In a previous work, the author analyzed the model without taking into account spatial heterogeneity. This study continues the model study of the community considering the diffusion of individuals, as well as directed movements of the predator. It is assumed that the predator responds to the spatial change in the resource and prey density by occupying areas where species density is higher or avoiding them. Directed predator movement is described by the advection term, where velocity is proportional to the gradient of resource and prey density. The system is considered on a one-dimensional domain with zero-flux conditions as boundary ones. The spatiotemporal dynamics produced by model is determined by the system stability in the vicinity of stationary homogeneous state with respect to small inhomogeneous perturbations. The paper analyzes the possibility of wave instability leading to the emergence of autowaves and Turing instability, as a result of which stationary patterns are formed. Sufficient conditions for the existence of both types of instability are obtained. The influence of local kinetic parameters on the spatial structure formation was analyzed. It was shown that only Turing instability is possible when taxis on the resource is positive, but with a negative taxis, both types of instability are possible. The numerical solution of the system was found by using method of lines (MOL) with the numerical integration of ODE system by means of splitting techniques. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the system is presented in several variants, realizing one of the instability types. In the case of a positive taxis on the prey, both autowave and stationary structures are formed in smaller regions, with an increase in the region size, Turing structures are not formed. For negative taxis on the prey, stationary patterns is observed in both regions, while periodic structures appear only in larger areas.