Dynamical properties of discrete Lotka–Volterra equations

Abstract

A discrete version of the Lotka–Volterra differential equations for competing population species is analyzed in detail in much the same way as the discrete form of the logistic equation has been investigated as a source of bifurcation phenomena and chaotic dynamics. It is found that in addition to the logistic dynamics – ranging from very simple to manifestly chaotic regimes in terms of governing parameters – the discrete Lotka–Volterra equations exhibit their own brands of bifurcation and chaos that are essentially two-dimensional in nature. In particular, it is shown that the system exhibits “twisted horseshoe” dynamics associated with a strange invariant set for certain parameter ranges.