Partial tipping in bistable ecological systems under periodic environmental variability

Abstract

Periodic environmental variability is a common source affecting ecosystems and regulating their dynamics. This paper investigates the effects of periodic variation in species growth rate on the population dynamics of three bistable ecological systems. The first is a one-dimensional insect population model with coexisting outbreak and refuge equilibrium states, the second one describes two-species predator–prey interactions with extinction and coexistence states, and the third one is a three-species food chain model where chaotic and limit cycle states may coexist. We demonstrate with numerical simulations that a periodic variation in species growth rate may cause switching between two coexisting attractors without crossing any bifurcation point. Such a switchover occurs only for a specific initial population density close to the basin boundary, leading to partial tipping if the frozen system is non-chaotic. Partial tipping may also occur for some initial points far from the basin boundary if the frozen system is chaotic. Interestingly, the probability of tipping shows a frequency response with a maximum for a specific frequency of periodic forcing, as noticed for equilibrium and non-equilibrium limit cycle systems. The findings suggest that unexpected outbreaks or abrupt declines in population density may occur due to time-dependent variations in species growth parameters. Depending on the selective frequency of the periodic environmental variation, this may lead to species extinction or help the species to survive.