Abstract. This work deals with physiologically structured populations of the Daphnia type. Their biological modeling poses several computational challenges. In such models, indeed, the evolution of a size structured consumer described by a Volterra functional equation (VFE) is coupled to the evolution of an unstructured resource described by a delay differential equation (DDE), resulting in dynamics over an infinite dimensional state space. As additional complexities, the right-hand sides are both of integral type (continuous age distribution) and given implicitly through external ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Moreover, discontinuities in the vital rates occur at a maturation age, also given implicitly through one of the above ODEs. With the aim at studying the local asymptotic stability of equilibria and relevant bifurcations, we revisit a pseudospectral approach recently proposed to compute the eigenvalues of the infinitesimal generator of linearized systems of coupled VFEs/DDEs. First, we modify it in view of extension to nonlinear problems for future developments. Then, we consider a suitable implementation to tackle all the computational difficulties mentioned above: a piecewise approach to handle discontinuities, numerical quadrature of integrals, and numerical solution of ODEs. Moreover, we rigorously prove the spectral accuracy of the method in approximating the eigenvalues and how this outstanding feature is influenced by the other unavoidable error sources. Implementation details and experimental computations on existing available data conclude the work.

With the aim of applying numerical methods, we develop a formalism for physiologically structured population models in a new generality that includes consumer resource, cannibalism and trophic models. The dynamics at the population level are formulated as a system of Volterra functional equations coupled to ODE. For this general class we develop numerical methods to continue equilibria with respect to a parameter, detect transcritical and saddle-node bifurcations and compute curves in parameter planes along which these bifurcations occur. The methods combine curve continuation, ODE solvers and test functions. Finally we apply the method to the above models using existing data for Daphnia magna consuming Algae, and for Perca fluviatilis feeding on Daphnia magna. In particular we validate the methods by deriving expressions for equilibria and bifurcations with respect to which we compute errors, and by comparing the obtained curves with curves that were computed earlier with other methods. We also present new curves to show how the methods can easily be applied to derive new biological insight. Schemes of algorithms are included.