Novel Dynamics in an Additional Food provided Predator-Prey System with mutual interference

Abstract

The provision of additional food (AF) sources to an introduced predator has been identified as a mechanism to improve pest control. However, AF models with prey dependent functional responses can cause unbounded growth of the predator \cite{S27}. To avoid such dynamics, an AF model with mutual interference effect has been proposed \cite{S02}. The analysis therein reveals that if the quantity of additional food $\xi > h(\epsilon)$, where $\epsilon$ is the mutual interference parameter, then pest eradication is possible, and this is facilitated via a transcritical bifurcation. We revisit this model and show novel dynamical behaviors. In particular, pest eradication is possible for a tighter range of AF $g(\epsilon) < \xi < f(\epsilon) < h(\epsilon)$, and can also occur via a saddle node bifurcation. We observe bi-stability, as well as local bifurcations of Hopf type. We also prove a global bifurcation, of homoclinic type. This bifurcation in turn is shown to create a non-standard dynamic wherein the pest extinction state becomes an ``almost" global attractor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proof of existence of such a dynamical structure in AF models. We discuss our analysis in the context of designing novel bio-control strategies.