Predator-Prey Model with Refuge, Fear and Z-Control: PREDATOR-PREY MODEL WITH REFUGE, FEAR AND Z-CONTROL

Abstract

In this paper, we consider a predator-prey model incorporating fear and refuge.  Our results show that the predator-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if the ratio between the death rate of predators and the conversion rate of prey into predator is greater than the value of prey in refuge at equilibrium.  We also show that the co-existence equilibrium points are locally asymptotically stable if the value of the prey outside refuge is greater than half of the carrying capacity.  Numerical simulations show that when the intensity of fear increases, the fraction of the prey inside refuge increases; however, it has no effect on the fraction of the prey outside refuge, in the long run. It is shown that the intensity of fear harms predator population size. Numerical simulations show that the application of Z-control will force the system to reach any desired state within a limited time, whether the desired state is a constant state or a periodic state. Our results show that when the refuge size is taken to be a non-constant function of the prey outside refuge, the systems change their dynamics. Namely, when it is a linear function or an exponential function, the system always reaches the predator-free equilibrium.  However, when it is taken as a logistic equation, the system reaches the co-existence equilibrium after long term oscillations.