Stability switching and chaos in a multiple delayed prey–predator model with fear effect and anti-predator behavior

Abstract

Recent studies demonstrate that the density of prey population is not only affected by direct killing by the predator, but the fear in prey caused by predator also reduces it by cutting down the reproduction rate of prey community, and prey shows anti-predator behavior in response to this fear. In this study, we propose a prey–predator model with fear in prey due to predator and anti-predator behavior by prey against the predator with fear response delay and gestation delay. It is assumed that the predator consumes prey via simplified Holling Type-IV functional response. We evaluate the equilibrium points and study the local and global stability behavior of the system around them. It is observed that our system undergoes Hopf-bifurcation with respect to the fear parameter. Moreover, the system shows the attribute of bi-stability involving two stable equilibriums. Further, we study the dynamics of the delayed system by incorporating fear response delay and gestation delay. We observe that the delayed system suffers Hopf-bifurcation with respect to both delays. Using the normal form method and center manifold theory, the direction and stability of Hopf-bifurcation are studied. Chaotic behavior for delayed system is observed for large values of fear response delay. All these findings are supported by numerical simulation.