Neimark–Sacker bifurcation analysis in an intraguild predation model with general functional responses

Abstract

We analyse the dynamics of a discrete system coming from an intraguild food web model by using the average method. The intraguild predation model is formed by three populations corresponding to prey (P), mesopredator (MP) and superpredator (SP), where these last two populations are specialist. We give sufficient condition to guarantee the existence of a coexistence point at which the intraguild predation discrete model undergoes a Neimark–Sacker bifurcation independently of the functional responses that govern the interactions. We show numerical applications that consist in to assume that P has logistic growth and that the relation of MP–P is through a Holling type II functional response. Besides, we will consider that the interaction of MP–P is such that population MP has defense. The interaction of SP–P will be through a Holling functional response type III or IV. In particular, we give sufficient conditions to guarantee that the three species coexist. The techniques used to obtain the results can be applied to other models with different functional responses.