Coexistence of competing species with flocculation in an unstirred chemostat

Abstract

In this paper, an analysis is given of a mathematical model of two competing species feeding on one single resource growing in the chemostat, and the more superior species can flocculate. We firstly establish the existence and uniqueness of the positive solution to the single-species model with flocculation. In the case that the superior species flocculates, by degree theory the existence of positive steady-state solution is established. It turns out that for small attachment, all species may coexist.