Stability and Bifurcation Analysis in a Nonlinear Harvested Predator–Prey Model with Simplified Holling Type IV Functional Response

Abstract

In this paper, a type of predator–prey model with simplified Holling type IV functional response is improved by adding the nonlinear Michaelis–Menten type prey harvesting to explore the dynamics of the predator–prey system. Firstly, the conditions for the existence of different equilibria are analyzed, and the stability of possible equilibria is investigated to predict the final state of the system. Secondly, bifurcation behaviors of this system are explored, and it is found that saddle-node and transcritical bifurcations occur on the condition of some parameter values using Sotomayor’s theorem; the first Lyapunov constant is computed to determine the stability of the bifurcated limit cycle of Hopf bifurcation; repelling and attracting Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation of codimension 2 is explored by calculating the universal unfolding near the cusp based on two-parameter bifurcation analysis theorem, and hence there are different parameter values for which the model has a limit cycle, or a homoclinic loop; it is also predicted that the heteroclinic bifurcation may occur as the parameter values vary by analyzing the isoclinic of the improved system. Finally, numerical simulations are done to verify the theoretical analysis.