where N.t/ is the population at time t , r is the growth rate of the species, andK >0
is called the carrying capacity of the habitat (note that here there is no immigration
or emigration). The solution N.t/ of (2.1) is said to be oscillatory about the positive
steady state K if N.tn/ K D 0; for n D 0; 1; 2; :: and limn!1 tn D 1. The
solution N.t/ of (2.1) is said to be nonoscillatory about K if there exits t0 0 such
that jN.t/ Kj > 0 for t t0. A solution N.t/ is said to be oscillatory (here we
mean oscillatory about zero) if there exists a sequence ftng such that N.tn/ D 0; for
n D 0; 1; 2; ::. and limn!1 tn D1: A solution N.t/ is said to be nonoscillatory if
there exits t0 0 such that jN.t/j > 0 for t t0:
Together with (2.1), we consider solutions of (2.1) which correspond to the initial
condition
N.t/ D
.t/ for t 0;
2 C.OE; 0; OE0;1//; and
.0/ > 0:
(2.2)
Clearly the initial value problem (2.1), (2.2) has a unique positive solution for all
t 0: This follows by the method of steps. We begin with the usual result in any
book on oscillation and we quote here the linearized oscillation theorem taken from
[30].
Theorem 2.1.1. Consider the nonlinear delay differential equation
x
0
.t / C
Xn
iD1
pifi .x.t i // D 0; (2.3)
where for i D 1; : : : ; n;
pi 2 .0;1/; i 2 OE0;1/; fi 2 COER;R; (2.4)
ufi .u/ > 0for u ¤ 0 and lim
u!0
fi .u/
u D 1; (2.5)
and there exits a positive constant ı such that
either fi .u/ u for0 u ı and i D 1;2; : : : ; n;
or fi .u/ u for ı u 0 and i D 1;2; : : : ; n:
(2.6)
Then every solution of (2.3) oscillates if and only if every solution of the linearized
equation
y
0
.t / C
Xn
iD1
piy.t i / D 0