Extinction times for a general birth, death and catastrophe process

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1211-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Cairns ◽  
P. K. Pollett

The birth, death and catastrophe process is an extension of the birth–death process that incorporates the possibility of reductions in population of arbitrary size. We will consider a general form of this model in which the transition rates are allowed to depend on the current population size in an arbitrary manner. The linear case, where the transition rates are proportional to current population size, has been studied extensively. In particular, extinction probabilities, the expected time to extinction, and the distribution of the population size conditional on nonextinction (the quasi-stationary distribution) have all been evaluated explicitly. However, whilst these characteristics are of interest in the modelling and management of populations, processes with linear rate coefficients represent only a very limited class of models. We address this limitation by allowing for a wider range of catastrophic events. Despite this generalisation, explicit expressions can still be found for the expected extinction times.

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 1211-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Cairns ◽  
P. K. Pollett

The birth, death and catastrophe process is an extension of the birth–death process that incorporates the possibility of reductions in population of arbitrary size. We will consider a general form of this model in which the transition rates are allowed to depend on the current population size in an arbitrary manner. The linear case, where the transition rates are proportional to current population size, has been studied extensively. In particular, extinction probabilities, the expected time to extinction, and the distribution of the population size conditional on nonextinction (the quasi-stationary distribution) have all been evaluated explicitly. However, whilst these characteristics are of interest in the modelling and management of populations, processes with linear rate coefficients represent only a very limited class of models. We address this limitation by allowing for a wider range of catastrophic events. Despite this generalisation, explicit expressions can still be found for the expected extinction times.


2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 566-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Pollett ◽  
Hanjun Zhang ◽  
Benjamin J. Cairns

We consider a birth, death and catastrophe process where the transition rates are allowed to depend on the population size. We obtain an explicit expression for the expected time to extinction, which is valid in all cases where extinction occurs with probability 1.


2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (02) ◽  
pp. 566-569
Author(s):  
Phil Pollett ◽  
Hanjun Zhang ◽  
Benjamin J. Cairns

We consider a birth, death and catastrophe process where the transition rates are allowed to depend on the population size. We obtain an explicit expression for the expected time to extinction, which is valid in all cases where extinction occurs with probability 1.


2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (02) ◽  
pp. 566-569
Author(s):  
Phil Pollett ◽  
Hanjun Zhang ◽  
Benjamin J. Cairns

We consider a birth, death and catastrophe process where the transition rates are allowed to depend on the population size. We obtain an explicit expression for the expected time to extinction, which is valid in all cases where extinction occurs with probability 1.


1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 42-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Brockwell

The distribution of the extinction time for a linear birth and death process subject to catastrophes is determined. The catastrophes occur at a rate proportional to the population size and their magnitudes are random variables having an arbitrary distribution with generating function d(·). The asymptotic behaviour (for large initial population size) of the expected time to extinction is found under the assumption that d(.) has radius of convergence greater than 1. Corresponding results are derived for a related class of diffusion processes interrupted by catastrophes with sizes having an arbitrary distribution function.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Ball ◽  
Tom Britton ◽  
Peter Neal

Abstract We study continuous-time birth–death type processes, where individuals have independent and identically distributed lifetimes, according to a random variable Q, with E[Q] = 1, and where the birth rate if the population is currently in state (has size) n is α(n). We focus on two important examples, namely α(n) = λ n being a branching process, and α(n) = λn(N - n) / N which corresponds to an SIS (susceptible → infective → susceptible) epidemic model in a homogeneously mixing community of fixed size N. The processes are assumed to start with a single individual, i.e. in state 1. Let T, An, C, and S denote the (random) time to extinction, the total time spent in state n, the total number of individuals ever alive, and the sum of the lifetimes of all individuals in the birth–death process, respectively. We give expressions for the expectation of all these quantities and show that these expectations are insensitive to the distribution of Q. We also derive an asymptotic expression for the expected time to extinction of the SIS epidemic, but now starting at the endemic state, which is not independent of the distribution of Q. The results are also applied to the household SIS epidemic, showing that, in contrast to the household SIR (susceptible → infective → recovered) epidemic, its threshold parameter R* is insensitive to the distribution of Q.


1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Brockwell

The distribution of the extinction time for a linear birth and death process subject to catastrophes is determined. The catastrophes occur at a rate proportional to the population size and their magnitudes are random variables having an arbitrary distribution with generating function d(·). The asymptotic behaviour (for large initial population size) of the expected time to extinction is found under the assumption that d(.) has radius of convergence greater than 1. Corresponding results are derived for a related class of diffusion processes interrupted by catastrophes with sizes having an arbitrary distribution function.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Grasman ◽  
D. Ludwig

Asymptotic approximations and numerical computations are used to estimate the accuracy of the diffusion approximation for the expected time to extinction for some stochastic processes. The results differ for processes with a continuant transition matrix (e.g. a birth and death process), and those with a noncontinuant transition matrix (e.g. a non-linear branching process). In the latter case, the diffusion equation does not hold near the point of exit. Consequently, high-order corrections do not result in substantial improvement over the diffusion approximation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (04) ◽  
pp. 812-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Walker

This paper considers continuous-time Markov chains whose state space consists of an irreducible class, 𝒞, and an absorbing state which is accessible from 𝒞. The purpose is to provide a way to determine the expected time to absorption conditional on such time being finite, in the case where absorption occurs with probability less than 1. The results are illustrated by applications to the general birth and death process and the linear birth, death and catastrophe process.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 305-321
Author(s):  
J. Grasman ◽  
D. Ludwig

Asymptotic approximations and numerical computations are used to estimate the accuracy of the diffusion approximation for the expected time to extinction for some stochastic processes. The results differ for processes with a continuant transition matrix (e.g. a birth and death process), and those with a noncontinuant transition matrix (e.g. a non-linear branching process). In the latter case, the diffusion equation does not hold near the point of exit. Consequently, high-order corrections do not result in substantial improvement over the diffusion approximation.


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