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This work is devoted to the study of the problem of modeling and analyzing complex oscillatory modes, both regular and chaotic, in systems of interacting populations in the presence of random perturbations. As an initial conceptual deterministic model, a Volterra system of three differential equations is considered, which describes the dynamics of prey populations of two competing species and a predator. This model takes into account the following key biological factors: the natural increase in prey, their intraspecific and interspecific competition, the extinction of predators in the absence of prey, the rate of predation by predators, the growth of the predator population due to predation, and the intensity of intraspecific competition in the predator population. The growth rate of the second prey population is used as a bifurcation parameter. At a certain interval of variation of this parameter, the system demonstrates a wide variety of dynamic modes: equilibrium, oscillatory, and chaotic. An important feature of this model is multistability. In this paper, we focus on the study of the parametric zone of tristability, when a stable equilibrium and two limit cycles coexist in the system. Such birhythmicity in the presence of random perturbations generates new dynamic modes that have no analogues in the deterministic case. The aim of the paper is a detailed study of stochastic phenomena caused by random fluctuations in the growth rate of the second population of prey. As a mathematical model of such fluctuations, we consider white Gaussian noise. Using methods of direct numerical modeling of solutions of the corresponding system of stochastic differential equations, the following phenomena have been identified and described: unidirectional stochastic transitions from one cycle to another, trigger mode caused by transitions between cycles, noise-induced transitions from cycles to the equilibrium, corresponding to the extinction of the predator and the second prey population. The paper presents the results of the analysis of these phenomena using the Lyapunov exponents, and identifies the parametric conditions for transitions from order to chaos and from chaos to order. For the analytical study of such noise-induced multi-stage transitions, the technique of stochastic sensitivity functions and the method of confidence regions were applied. The paper shows how this mathematical apparatus allows predicting the intensity of noise, leading to qualitative transformations of the modes of stochastic population dynamics.

The coconut tree is often mentioned as the “tree of life” due to its immense benefits to the human community ranging from edible products to building materials. Rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), a natural enemy seems to be a major threat to farmers in bringing up these coconut trees. A mathematical model to study the dynamics of pest population in the presence of predator and parasite is developed. The biologically feasible equilibrium points are derived. Local asymptotic stability as well as global asymptotic stability is analyzed at the points. Furthermore, in order to educate farmers on pest control, we have added the impact of awareness programs in the model. The conditions of existence and stability properties of all feasible steady states of this model are analyzed. The result reveals that predator and parasite play a major role in reducing the immature pest. It also shows that pest control activities through awareness programs further reduce the mature pest population which decreases the egg laying rate which in turn reduces the immature population.

A vertically distributed three-component model of marine ecosystem is considered. State of the plankton community with nutrients is analyzed under the active movement of zooplankton in a vertical column of water. The necessary conditions of the Turing instability in the vicinity of the spatially homogeneous equilibrium are obtained. Stability of the spatially homogeneous equilibrium, the Turing instability and the oscillatory instability are examined depending on the biological characteristics of zooplankton and spatial movement of plankton. It is shown that at low values of zooplankton grazing rate and intratrophic interaction rate the system is Turing instable when the taxis rate is low. Stabilization occurs either through increased decline of zooplankton either by increasing the phytoplankton diffusion. With the increasing rate of consumption of phytoplankton range of parameters that determine the stability is reduced. A type of instability depends on the phytoplankton diffusion. For large values of diffusion oscillatory instability is observed, with a decrease in the phytoplankton diffusion zone of Turing instability is increases. In general, if zooplankton grazing rate is faster than phytoplankton growth rate the spatially homogeneous equilibrium is Turing instable or oscillatory instable. Stability is observed only at high speeds of zooplankton departure or its active movements. With the increase in zooplankton search activity spatial distribution of populations becomes more uniform, increasing the rate of diffusion leads to non-uniform spatial distribution. However, under diffusion the total number of the population is stabilized when the zooplankton grazing rate above the rate of phytoplankton growth. In general, at low rate of phytoplankton consumption the spatial structures formation is possible at low rates of zooplankton decline and diffusion of all the plankton community. With the increase in phytoplankton predation rate the phytoplankton diffusion and zooplankton spatial movement has essential effect on the spatial instability.

Changes in abundance for emerging populations can develop according to several dynamic scenarios. After rapid biological invasions, the time factor for the development of a reaction from the biotic environment will become important. There are two classic experiments known in history with different endings of the confrontation of biological species. In Gause’s experiments with ciliates, the infused predator, after brief oscillations, completely destroyed its resource, so its $r$-parameter became excessive for new conditions. Its own reproductive activity was not regulated by additional factors and, as a result, became critical for the invader. In the experiments of the entomologist Uchida with parasitic wasps and their prey beetles, all species coexisted. In a situation where a population with a high reproductive potential is regulated by several natural enemies, interesting dynamic effects can occur that have been observed in phytophages in an evergreen forest in Australia. The competing parasitic hymenoptera create a delayed regulation system for rapidly multiplying psyllid pests, where a rapid increase in the psyllid population is allowed until the pest reaches its maximum number. A short maximum is followed by a rapid decline in numbers, but minimization does not become critical for the population. The paper proposes a phenomenological model based on a differential equation with a delay, which describes a scenario of adaptive regulation for a population with a high reproductive potential with an active, but with a delayed reaction with a threshold regulation of exposure. It is shown that the complication of the regulation function of biotic resistance in the model leads to the stabilization of the dynamics after the passage of the minimum number by the rapidly breeding species. For a flexible system, transitional regimes of growth and crisis lead to the search for a new equilibrium in the evolutionary confrontation.

To study nonlinear effects of biological species interactions numerical-analytical approach is being developed. The approach is based on the cosymmetry theory accounting for the phenomenon of the emergence of a continuous family of solutions to differential equations where each solution can be obtained from the appropriate initial state. In problems of mathematical ecology the onset of cosymmetry is usually connected with a number of relationships between the parameters of the system. When the relationships collapse families vanish, we get a finite number of isolated solutions instead of a continuum of solutions and transient process can be long-term, dynamics taking place in a neighborhood of a family that has vanished due to cosymmetry collapse.

We consider a model for spatiotemporal competition of predators or prey with an account for directed migration, Holling type II functional response and nonlinear prey growth function permitting Alley effect. We found out the conditions on system parameters under which there is linear with respect to population densities cosymmetry. It is demonstated that cosymmetry exists for any resource function in case of heterogeneous habitat. Numerical experiment in MATLAB is applied to compute steady states and oscillatory regimes in case of spatial heterogeneity.

The dynamics of three population interactions (two predators and a prey, two prey and a predator) are considered. The onset of families of stationary distributions and limit cycle branching out of equlibria of a family that lose stability are investigated in case of homogeneous habitat. The study of the system for two prey and a predator gave a wonderful result of species coexistence. We have found out parameter regions where three families of stable solutions can be realized: coexistence of two prey in absence of a predator, stationary and oscillatory distributions of three coexisting species. Cosymmetry collapse is analyzed and long-term transient dynamics leading to solutions with the exclusion of one of prey or extinction of a predator is established in the numerical experiment.

Our purpose is to study the spatio-temporal population wave behavior observed in the predator-prey system. It is assumed that predators move both directionally and randomly, and prey spread only diffusely. The model does not take into account demographic processes in the predator population; it’s total number is constant and is a parameter. The variables of the model are the prey and predator densities and the predator speed, which are connected by a system of three reaction – diffusion – advection equations. The system is considered on an annular range, that is the periodic conditions are set at the boundaries of the interval. We have studied the bifurcations of wave modes arising in the system when two parameters are changed — the total number of predators and their taxis acceleration coefficient.

The main research method is a numerical analysis. The spatial approximation of the problem in partial derivatives is performed by the finite difference method. Integration of the obtained system of ordinary differential equations in time is carried out by the Runge –Kutta method. The construction of the Poincare map, calculation of Lyapunov exponents, and Fourier analysis are used for a qualitative analysis of dynamic regimes.

It is shown that, population waves can arise as a result of existence of directional movement of predators. The population dynamics in the system changes qualitatively as the total predator number increases. А stationary homogeneous regime is stable at low value of parameter, then it is replaced by self-oscillations in the form of traveling waves. The waveform becomes more complicated as the bifurcation parameter increases; its complexity occurs due to an increase in the number of temporal vibrational modes. A large taxis acceleration coefficient leads to the possibility of a transition from multi-frequency to chaotic and hyperchaotic population waves. A stationary regime without preys becomes stable with a large number of predators.

We consider “predator – prey” model taking into account the competition of prey, predator for different from the prey resources, and their interaction described by the second type Holling trophic function. An analysis of the attractors is carried out depending on the coefficient of competition of predators. In the deterministic case, this model demonstrates the complex behavior associated with the local (Andronov –Hopf and saddlenode) and global (birth of a cycle from a separatrix loop) bifurcations. An important feature of this model is the disappearance of a stable cycle due to a saddle-node bifurcation. As a result of the presence of competition in both populations, parametric zones of mono- and bistability are observed. In parametric zones of bistability the system has either coexisting two equilibria or a cycle and equilibrium. Here, we investigate the geometrical arrangement of attractors and separatrices, which is the boundary of basins of attraction. Such a study is an important component in understanding of stochastic phenomena. In this model, the combination of the nonlinearity and random perturbations leads to the appearance of new phenomena with no analogues in the deterministic case, such as noise-induced transitions through the separatrix, stochastic excitability, and generation of mixed-mode oscillations. For the parametric study of these phenomena, we use the stochastic sensitivity function technique and the confidence domain method. In the bistability zones, we study the deformations of the equilibrium or oscillation regimes under stochastic perturbation. The geometric criterion for the occurrence of such qualitative changes is the intersection of confidence domains and the separatrix of the deterministic model. In the zone of monostability, we evolve the phenomena of explosive change in the size of population as well as extinction of one or both populations with minor changes in external conditions. With the help of the confidence domains method, we solve the problem of estimating the proximity of a stochastic population to dangerous boundaries, upon reaching which the coexistence of populations is destroyed and their extinction is observed.

The paper uses methods of mathematical modeling to estimate a zooplankton influence on the dynamics of phytoplankton abundance. We propose a three-component model of the “phytoplankton–zooplankton” community with discrete time, considering a heterogeneity of zooplankton according to the developmental stage and type of feeding; the model takes into account cannibalism in zooplankton community, during which mature individuals of some of its species consume juvenile ones. Survival rates at the early stages of zooplankton life cycle depend explicitly on the interaction between zooplankton and phytoplankton. Loss of phytoplankton biomass because of zooplankton consumption is explicitly considered. We use the Holling functional response of type II to describe saturation during biomass consumption. The dynamics of the phytoplankton community is represented by the Ricker model, which allows to take into account the restriction of phytoplankton biomass growth by the availability of external resources (mineral nutrition, oxygen, light, etc.) implicitly.

The study analyzed scenarios of the transition from stationary dynamics to fluctuations in the size of phytoand zooplankton for various values of intrapopulation parameters determining the nature of the dynamics of the species constituting the community, and the parameters of their interaction. The focus is on exploring the complex modes of community dynamics. In the framework of the model used for describing dynamics of phytoplankton in the absence of interspecific interaction, phytoplankton dynamics undergoes a series of perioddoubling bifurcations. At the same time, with zooplankton appearance, the cascade of period-doubling bifurcations in phytoplankton and the community as a whole is realized earlier (at lower reproduction rates of phytoplankton cells) than in the case when phytoplankton develops in isolation. Furthermore, the variation in the cannibalism level in zooplankton can significantly change both the existing dynamics in the community and its bifurcation; e.g., with a certain structure of zooplankton food relationships the realization of Neimark–Sacker bifurcation scenario in the community is possible. Considering the cannibalism level in zooplankton can change due to the natural maturation processes and achievement of the carnivorous stage by some individuals, one can expect pronounced changes in the dynamic mode of the community, i.e. abrupt transitions from regular to quasiperiodic dynamics (according to Neimark–Sacker scenario) and further cycles with a short period (the implementation of period halving bifurcation).

The paper deals with a prey-predator model, which describes the spatiotemporal dynamics of plankton community and the nutrients. The system is described by reaction-diffusion-advection equations in a onedimensional vertical column of water in the surface layer. Advective term of the predator equation represents the vertical movements of zooplankton with velocity, which is assumed to be proportional to the gradient of phytoplankton density. This study aimed to determine the conditions under which these movements (taxis) lead to the spatially heterogeneous structures generated by the system. Assuming diffusion coefficients of all model components to be equal the instability of the system in the vicinity of stationary homogeneous state with respect to small inhomogeneous perturbations is analyzed.

Necessary conditions for the flow-induced instability were obtained through linear stability analysis. Depending on the local kinetics parameters, increasing the taxis rate leads to Turing or wave instability. This fact is in good agreement with conditions for the emergence of spatial and spatiotemporal patterns in a minimal phytoplankton–zooplankton model after flow-induced instabilities derived by other authors. This mechanism of generating patchiness is more general than the Turing mechanism, which depends on strong conditions on the diffusion coefficients.

While the taxis exceeding a certain critical value, the wave number corresponding to the fastest growing mode remains unchanged. This value determines the type of spatial structure. In support of obtained results, the paper presents the spatiotemporal dynamics of the model components demonstrating Turing-type pattern and standing wave pattern.

We have studied properties of non-linear waves in a mathematical model of a predator – prey system with taxis. We demonstrate that, for systems with negative and positive taxis there typically exists a large region in the parameter space, where the waves demonstrate quasi-soliton interaction; colliding waves can penetrate through each other, and waves can also reflect from impermeable boundaries. In this paper, we use numerical simulations to demonstrate also a new wave phenomenon — a half-soliton interaction of waves, when of two colliding waves, one annihilates and the other continues to propagate. We show that this effect depends on the «ages» or, equivalently, «widths» of the colliding waves.