Turing Instability for a Ratio-Dependent Predator-Prey Model with Diffusion

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a ratio-dependent predator-prey reaction-diffusion model, demonstrating conditions for Turing instability and pattern formation when predator mortality depends on predator abundance, supported by numerical simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a predator mortality function increasing with predator abundance and identifies critical conditions for diffusion-driven Turing instability in the model.

Findings

Turing bifurcation occurs at a critical diffusion value.

Stationary solutions are stable without diffusion but unstable with diffusion.

Numerical schemes preserve positivity and boundedness of solutions.

Abstract

Ratio-dependent predator-prey models have been increasingly favored by field ecologists where predator-prey interactions have to be taken into account the process of predation search. In this paper we study the conditions of the existence and stability properties of the equilibrium solutions in a reaction-diffusion model in which predator mortality is neither a constant nor an unbounded function, but it is increasing with the predator abundance. We show that analytically at a certain critical value a diffusion driven (Turing type) instability occurs, i.e. the stationary solution stays stable with respect to the kinetic system (the system without diffusion). We also show that the stationary solution becomes unstable with respect to the system with diffusion and that Turing bifurcation takes place: a spatially non-homogenous (non-constant) solution (structure or pattern) arises. A numerical scheme that preserve the positivity of the numerical solutions and the boundedness of prey solution will be presented. Numerical examples are also included.