Bifurcation analysis in a predator–prey model with strong Allee effect

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, strong Allee effects on the bifurcation of the predator–prey model with ratio-dependent Holling type III response are considered, where the prey in the model is subject to a strong Allee effect. The existence and stability of equilibria and the detailed behavior of possible bifurcations are discussed. Specifically, the existence of saddle-node bifurcation is analyzed by using Sotomayor’s theorem, the direction of Hopf bifurcation is determined, with two bifurcation parameters, the occurrence of Bogdanov–Takens of codimension 2 is showed through calculation of the universal unfolding near the cusp. Comparing with the cases with a weak Allee effect and no Allee effect, the results show that the Allee effect plays a significant role in determining the stability and bifurcation phenomena of the model. It favors the coexistence of the predator and prey, can lead to more complex dynamical behaviors, not only the saddle-node bifurcation but also Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation. Numerical simulations and phase portraits are also given to verify our theoretical analysis.