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The paper studies the influence of selective harvest on dynamic modes of the «predator–prey» community with age structure for prey. We use a slight modification of the Nicholson-Bailey model to describe the interaction between predator and prey. We assume the prey population size is regulated by a decrease in survival rate of juvenile with an increase in the size of age class. The aim is to study the mechanisms of formation and evolution of dynamic modes for the structured «predator–prey» community model due to selective harvesting. We considered the cases when a harvest of some part of predator or prey population or one of the prey’s age classes is realized. The conditions of stable coexistence of interacting species and scenarios of the occurrence of oscillatory modes of abundance are studied. It is shown the harvesting of only young individuals of prey or simultaneous removal of young and adult individuals leads to expansion of parameter space domain with stable dynamics of prey population both with and without a predator. At the same time, the bistability domain narrows, in which changing initial conditions leads to the predator either remains in the community or dies from lack of food. In the case of the harvest for prey adult individuals or predator, the predator preservation in the community is ensured by high values of the prey birth rate, moreover bistability domain expands. With the removal of both juvenile preys and predators, an increase in the survival rates of adult prey leads to stabilization of the community dynamics. The juveniles’ harvest can lead to damping of oscillations and stabilize the prey dynamics in the predator absence. Moreover, it can change the scenario of the coexistence of species — from habitation of preys without predators to a sustainable coexistence of both species. The harvest of some part of predator or prey or the prey’s older age class can lead to both oscillations damping and stable dynamics of the interacting species, and to the destruction of the community, that is, to the death of predator.

The paper investigates the dynamics of a finite-dimensional model describing the interaction of three populations: prey $x(t)$, its consuming predator $y(t)$, and a superpredator $z(t)$ that feeds on both species. Mathematically, the problem is formulated as a system of nonlinear first-order differential equations with the following right-hand side: $[x(1-x)-(y+z)g;\,\eta_1^{}yg-d_1^{}f-\mu_1^{}y;\,\eta_2^{}zg+d_2^{}f-\mu_2^{}z]$, where $\eta_j^{}$, $d_j^{}$, $\mu_j^{}$ ($j=1,\,2$) are positive coefficients. The considered model belongs to the class of cosymmetric dynamical systems under the Lotka\,--\,Volterra functional response $g=x$, $f=yz$, and two parameter constraints: $\mu_2^{}=d_2^{}\left(1+\frac{\mu_1^{}}{d_1^{}}\right)$, $\eta_2^{}=d_2^{}\left(1+\frac{\eta_1^{}}{d_1^{}}\right)$. In this case, a family of equilibria is being of a straight line in phase space. We have analyzed the stability of the equilibria from the family and isolated equilibria. Maps of stationary solutions and limit cycles have been constructed. The breakdown of the family is studied by violating the cosymmetry conditions and using the Holling model $g(x)=\frac x{1+b_1^{}x}$ and the Beddington–DeAngelis model $f(y,\,z)=\frac{yz}{1+b_2^{}y+b_3^{}z}$. To achieve this, the apparatus of Yudovich's theory of cosymmetry is applied, including the computation of cosymmetric defects and selective functions. Through numerical experimentation, invasive scenarios have been analyzed, encompassing the introduction of a superpredator into the predator-prey system, the elimination of the predator, or the superpredator.

The spatiotemporal dynamics of a three-component model for food web is considered. The model describes the interactions among resource, prey and predator that consumes both species. In a previous work, the author analyzed the model without taking into account spatial heterogeneity. This study continues the model study of the community considering the diffusion of individuals, as well as directed movements of the predator. It is assumed that the predator responds to the spatial change in the resource and prey density by occupying areas where species density is higher or avoiding them. Directed predator movement is described by the advection term, where velocity is proportional to the gradient of resource and prey density. The system is considered on a one-dimensional domain with zero-flux conditions as boundary ones. The spatiotemporal dynamics produced by model is determined by the system stability in the vicinity of stationary homogeneous state with respect to small inhomogeneous perturbations. The paper analyzes the possibility of wave instability leading to the emergence of autowaves and Turing instability, as a result of which stationary patterns are formed. Sufficient conditions for the existence of both types of instability are obtained. The influence of local kinetic parameters on the spatial structure formation was analyzed. It was shown that only Turing instability is possible when taxis on the resource is positive, but with a negative taxis, both types of instability are possible. The numerical solution of the system was found by using method of lines (MOL) with the numerical integration of ODE system by means of splitting techniques. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the system is presented in several variants, realizing one of the instability types. In the case of a positive taxis on the prey, both autowave and stationary structures are formed in smaller regions, with an increase in the region size, Turing structures are not formed. For negative taxis on the prey, stationary patterns is observed in both regions, while periodic structures appear only in larger areas.

We propose a four-component model of a plankton community with discrete time. The model considers the competitive relationships of phytoplankton groups exhibited between each other and the trophic characteristics zooplankton displays: it considers the division of zooplankton into predatory and non-predatory components. The model explicitly represents the consumption of non-predatory zooplankton by predatory. Non-predatory zooplankton feeds on phytoplankton, which includes two competing components: toxic and non-toxic types, with the latter being suitable for zooplankton food. A model of two coupled Ricker equations, focused on describing the dynamics of a competitive community, describes the interaction of two phytoplanktons and allows implicitly taking into account the limitation of each of the competing components of biomass growth by the availability of external resources. The model describes the prey consumption by their predators using a Holling type II trophic function, considering predator saturation.

The analysis of scenarios for the transition from stationary dynamics to fluctuations in the population size of community members showed that the community loses the stability of the non-trivial equilibrium corresponding to the coexistence of the complete community both through a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations and through a Neimark – Sacker bifurcation leading to the emergence of quasi-periodic oscillations. Although quite simple, the model proposed in this work demonstrates dynamics of comunity similar to that natural systems and experiments observe: with a lag of predator oscillations relative to the prey by about a quarter of the period, long-period antiphase cycles of predator and prey, as well as hidden cycles in which the prey density remains almost constant, and the predator density fluctuates, demonstrating the influence fast evolution exhibits that masks the trophic interaction. At the same time, the variation of intra-population parameters of phytoplankton or zooplankton can lead to pronounced changes the community experiences in the dynamic mode: sharp transitions from regular to quasi-periodic dynamics and further to exact cycles with a small period or even stationary dynamics. Quasi-periodic dynamics can arise at sufficiently small phytoplankton growth rates corresponding to stable or regular community dynamics. The change of the dynamic mode in this area (the transition from stable dynamics to quasi-periodic and vice versa) can occur due to the variation of initial conditions or external influence that changes the current abundances of components and shifts the system to the basin of attraction of another dynamic mode.

Dynamic scenarios leading to multistability in the form of continuous families of stable solutions are studied for a system of autonomous differential equations. The approach is based on determining the cosymmetries of the problem, calculating stationary solutions, and numerically-analytically studying their stability. The analysis is carried out for equations of the Lotka –Volterra type, describing the interaction of two predators feeding on two related prey species. For a system of ordinary differential equations of the 4th order with 11 real parameters, a numerical-analytical study of possible interaction scenarios was carried out. Relationships are found analytically between the control parameters under which the cosymmetry linear in the variables of the problem is realized and families of stationary solutions (equilibria) arise. The case of multicosymmetry is established and explicit formulas for a two-parameter family of equilibria are presented. The analysis of the stability of these solutions made it possible to reveal the division of the family into regions of stable and unstable equilibria. In a computational experiment, the limit cycles branching off from unstable stationary solutions are determined and their multipliers corresponding to multistability are calculated. Examples of the coexistence of families of stable stationary and non-stationary solutions are presented. The analysis is carried out for the growth functions of logistic and “hyperbolic” types. Depending on the parameters, scenarios can be obtained when only stationary solutions (coexistence of prey without predators and mixed combinations), as well as families of limit cycles, are realized in the phase space. The multistability scenarios considered in the work allow one to analyze the situations that arise in the presence of several related species in the range. These results are the basis for subsequent analysis when the parameters deviate from cosymmetric relationships.