Optimal control of resources for species survival

TL;DR

This paper investigates optimal resource distribution to maximize species survival in a heterogeneous environment, showing that for high diffusion rates, optimal configurations are concentrated and characterized as characteristic functions of specific domains.

Contribution

It provides a rigorous analysis of optimal resource allocation in a diffusive logistic model, especially for large diffusion rates, including explicit solutions in one dimension.

Findings

Optimal configurations are characteristic functions of domains.

High diffusion rates lead to concentrated resource distributions.

Complete characterization of optimal solutions in one-dimensional cases.

Abstract

Consider a species whose population density solves the steady diffusive logistic equation in a heterogeneous environment modeled with the help of a spatially non constant coefficient standing for a resources distribution in a given box. We look at maximizing the total population size with respect to resources distribution, under some biologically relevant constraints. Assuming that the diffusion rate of the species is large enough, we prove that any optimal configuration is the characteristic function of a domain standing for the resources location. Moreover, we highlight that optimal configurations look {\it concentrated} whenever the diffusion rate is large enough. In the one-dimensional case, this problem is deeply analyzed, and for large diffusion rates, all optimal configurations are exhibited.