A discrete prey–predator model preserving the dynamics of a structurally unstable Lotka–Volterra model

Abstract

Leslie's method to construct a discrete two dimensional dynamical system dynamically consistent with the Lotka–Volterra type of competing two species ordinary differential equations is applied in a newly extended manner for the Lotka–Volterra prey–predator system which is structurally unstable. We show that, independently of the time step size, the derived discrete prey–predator system is dynamically consistent with the continuous counterpart, keeping the nature of neutrally stable periodic orbit. Further, we show that the extended method to construct the discrete prey–predator system can provide a dynamically consistent model also for the logistic Lotka–Volterra one.