Multiple Limit Cycles and Heteroclinic Loops in a Predator-prey System with Allee Effects in Prey

Abstract: The transition between strong and weak Allee effects in prey provides a simple regime shift in ecology. A deteriorating environment changes weak Allee effects into strong ones. In this paper, we study the interplay between the functional response of Holling type IV and both strong and weak Allee effects. The model investigated here presents complex dynamics and high codimension bifurcations. In particular, nilpotent cusp bifurcation, nilpotent saddle bifurcation and degenerate Hopf bifurcation of codimension 3 are completely analyzed, and the existence of homoclinic and heteroclinic loops are proven. Remarkably it is the first time that three limit cycles are discovered in predator-prey models with Allee effects. It turns out that strong Allee effects destabilize population dynamics, induce more regime shifts, decrease establishment likelihood of both species, increase vulnerability of ecosystem to collapse, while weak Allee effects promote sustained oscillations between predators and preys compared to systems without Allee effects. The theory developed here provides a sound foundation for understanding predator-prey interactions and biodiversity of species in natural systems.