Abstract
We formulate a simple host–parasite type model to study the interaction of certain plants and herbivores. Our two-dimensional discrete-time model utilizes leaf and herbivore biomass as state variables. The parameter space consists of the growth rate of the host population and a parameter describing the damage inflicted by herbivores. We present insightful bifurcation diagrams in that parameter space. Bistability and a crisis of a strange attractor suggest two control strategies: reducing the population of the herbivore under some threshold or increasing the growth rate of the plant leaves.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 89-101 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of biological dynamics |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2008 |
Keywords
- Bifurcation
- Chaos
- Control strategies
- Host–parasite model
- Plant–herbivore model
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Ecology