A predator prey model with age structure

A general predator-prey model is considered in which the predator population is assumed to have an age structure which significantly affects its fecundity. The model equations are derived from the general McKendrick equations for age structured populations. The existence, stability and destabilization of equilibria are studied as they depend on the prey's natural carrying capacity and the maturation period m of the predator. The main result of the paper is that for a broad class of maturation functions positive equilibria are either unstable for small m or are destabilized as m decreases to zero. This is in contrast to the usual rule of thumb that increasing (not decreasing) delays in growth rate responses cause instabilities.