Abstract
In this article, we establish a predator–prey model with fear factor and impulsive nonlinear effects. The globally asymptotically stable conditions for the pest extinction periodic solution and the permanence condition of the formulated model are derived using Floquet theory and the comparison theorem of the impulsive differential equations. Simulations confirm the correctness of the theoretical results obtained in this paper and reveal the complex dynamics of the investigated model. Our results may assist pest control experts in determining the appropriate impulsive control period and release quantity of natural enemies for more effective pest management.
MSC:
34D23; 92B05
1. Introduction
The management of pests in agricultural production has been a subject of significant importance, as pests consistently result in economic losses for humans [1]. For instance, the management costs faced by farmers worldwide in the control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, a major pest of cabbage, cauliflower, and canola, are estimated at four to five billion dollars annually [2]. The incidence of yield loss in rice crops has increased as a result of the widespread occurrence of pests such as the brown plant hopper (Nilaparvata lugens) [3,4], rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Güenée) [5], and small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus Fallen). The following pests were also observed: the rice hispa (Dicladispa armigera Oliver), the yellow stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas L.), and the white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera Horvath) [6]. These pests are a significant economic burden and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in losses annually. They also present a serious threat to food security in regions where rice is a primary food source [7]. It is estimated that up to 40% of the world’s food supply is already being lost to pests [8].
Consequently, humans have developed a variety of techniques, including the use of biological and chemical pesticides, the introduction of natural enemies, and the release of infected pest individuals, with the aim of controlling pests and safeguarding grain production [9,10,11]. This has prompted extensive research into pest management [12,13,14,15]. Initially, researchers posited that pest management was an ongoing, continuous process. Thus, they devised mathematical models of pest management incorporating continuous control measures [16,17]. However, the advancement of science has led to an understanding that the application of pest management measures, including the use of pesticides, the introduction of natural enemies, and the release of diseased pest individuals, cannot be considered as continuous processes within a system due to the potential for rapid changes to the state of the system [18]. Therefore, impulsive differential equations were introduced into pest management [12,13,19,20]. For example, Tian et al. [18] studied a prey–predator model with impulsive linear pesticide spraying and nonlinear release of natural enemies, which includes a regulating factor. Liu and Chen [21] studied the following prey–predator model with a Holling-II functional response and an impulsive release of predators.
where and represent the prey and predator densities at time respectively. is a Holling-II predation functional response function of the predator. represents the impulsive nonlinear input of predators. denotes the impulsive period, and In order to illustrate the diverse pest management techniques employed by humans to enhance their efficacy, a series of pest management models with impulsive perturbations were introduced. For example, in [14], the authors studied a pest management system with impulsive linear insecticide spraying and nonlinear release of infective pests. Liu and Zhang [15] discussed a Lotka–Volterra prey–predator model with an impulsive nonlinear release of predators and a linear spraying of insecticides at fixed moments. In reference [19], the authors considered a switched predator–prey system with an impulsive linear spraying of pesticides and a nonlinear release of predators at different moments. The paper focused on the sublethal effects of pesticide residues on pests and their natural enemies. In particular, Zhang et al. [22] studied the following Beddington–DeAngelis functional response predator–prey integrated pest management system with impulsive linear insecticide spraying and nonlinear release of the natural enemies of pests.
where predator and prey density are and at time respectively. The authors assume that the intrinsic growth rate of the prey population is the predation behavior of predator, is a Beddington–DeAngelis functional response. and represent the death rate of the predator and prey due to pesticide spraying, respectively. denotes the release amount of the predator (the natural enemy of the pest) at time is the impulsive period, and is the time interval between the pulsed applications of control measures.
Fear-induced behavior plays a significant role in prey–predator dynamics [23,24,25]. The fear experienced by the prey, which is induced by the presence of the predators within an ecological ecosystem, is a crucial factor in determining the dynamic behavior of the interacting populations [26]. Furthermore, predator-induced fear can significantly affect the reproductive rate of prey. The experimental study conducted by Zanette et al. [27] indicates that predator-induced fear leads to a 40% reduction in the reproductive success of song sparrows’ offspring. Field observations by Elliott et al. [28] revealed that the reproductive rate of drosophila decreases in the presence of mantids. Therefore, the inclusion of the fear factor in the growth term of prey species is a more practical approach.
Based on the above literature review and considering the impact of fear on prey reproduction rates as well as the more realistic approach of nonlinear pesticide spraying, we propose a predator–prey pest management model that incorporates fear factor, impulsive nonlinear insecticide spraying, and the release of natural enemies of pests. In contrast to model (1), this model incorporates a Holling-II predation functional response. In order to prevent the detrimental impact of pesticides on a significant portion of newly released natural enemies and to guarantee the efficacy of pest control, the implementation of pesticide spraying and natural enemy release is scheduled at distinct fixed moments. The first step in the process is the application of pesticides, which are used to kill a substantial number of pests during outbreaks. This is followed by the introduction of natural enemies, which are released to control the remaining pests at the second stage of the process. Subsequently, the following integrated pest management model can be established.
where the prey (pest) and predator (natural enemy) population densities are and at time respectively. represents the intrinsic rate of increase of the prey population. denotes the fear level of the prey induced by the presence of predators. The predation of the predator follows the Holling-II functional response, given by is the rate of conversion of nutrients into the reproduction rate of the predator. expresses the natural death rate of the predator. is impulsive nonlinear spraying pesticide at time represents the maximum fatality rate of the predator because of pesticide, which can be controlled by adjusting the pesticide spraying. is a half-saturation constant of the prey. It can be seen that when and as denotes the death rate of the pest’s natural enemy due to spraying insecticide. is the release quantity of the predator (natural enemy) at time is the time interval between two different impulse controls, and denotes the impulsive period.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, key preliminary results are presented to facilitate the subsequent analysis. The global asymptotic stability of the pest (prey) extinction periodic solution is derived in Section 3. In Section 4, the permanence of system (2) is analyzed. Furthermore, studying the complex dynamic behaviors of the system helps to predict the evolution of pest population and to design more effective pest control strategies, thereby reducing agriculture losses. Therefore, in Section 5, numerical simulations are presented to verify the correctness of the theoretical results and to explore the complex dynamics of the system (2) based on two more controllable parameters. We summarize our work in Section 6.
2. Preliminaries
Let be the map defined on the right hand of system (2). Suppose and . The solution of system (2), is a piecewise continuous function, which is continuous on the intervals and where Meanwhile, all exist. The global existence and uniqueness of the solution to system (2) are ensured by the smoothness of r [29]. We have the following results according to system (2).
Lemma 1.
Suppose is a solution of system (2) with . We can derive for all and we can derive for all when
Lemma 2.
There exists a constant such that and for l large enough.
Proof.
Suppose In accordance with the definition of upper right derivative in [15], when and we obtain
If we have
If we derive
Therefore, we obtain
Furthermore, we have
Hence, is uniformly ultimately bounded. There exists an such that and in view of the definition of □
In accordance with system (2), the following subsystem can be derived
The stroboscopic map of system (3) is given by
which has a fixed point Let Subsequently,
Hence, is locally asymptotically stable. Moreover,
That is, the fixed point is globally asymptotically stable. Therefore, we have the following lemma.
Lemma 3.
The periodic solution of system (3) is globally asymptotically stable, where
In this paper, we assume that
- (P1)
- (P2)
- (P3)
3. Global Stability
Theorem 1.
When condition holds true, the pest elimination periodic solution is locally asymptotically stable.
Proof.
Assuming that and a linearized system can be derived for system (2).
The fundamental solution matrixes are denoted by
and
The exact forms of and are not required to be computed, as the following analysis does not depend on them. For we have
For we derive
We obtain the following matrix,
which determines the local stability of by its eigenvalues. The eigenvalues of are
Obviously, if holds, and Based on the Floquet theory [30], the pest extinction periodic solution of system (2) is locally asymptotically stable if condition holds. □
Theorem 2.
When holds true, is globally asymptotically stable.
Proof.
In view of Lemma 3, for any positive constant and sufficiently large we can obtain Suppose for holds true. From system (2), we derive
We claim that and Therefore,
as due to and for small enough
with thus if as That is, the pest tends to extinction when as Moreover,
On interval , we have
When we have
If
we can obtain as That is, as when holds.
By selecting a sufficiently small there must exist an with such that when Considering the following system with ,
in accordance with Lemma 3, we obtain as where is the periodic solution of system (4), and
Moreover, in view of system (2) and the comparison theorem of the impulsive differential equations [29], we obtain for l sufficiently large. Therefore, we have for l sufficiently large. Let . We have
That is, as . Thus, is globally attractive. Based on the above analysis, we obtain that the pest-eradication periodic solution of system (2) is globally asymptotically stable. □
4. Permanence
Definition 1.
Theorem 3.
If holds, system (2) is permanent.
Proof.
As demonstrated in Lemma 2, there exists a constant such that and for sufficiently large l. Consequently, in the following steps, it is only necessary to find positive constants and such that and for all sufficiently large l, which is in accordance with Definition 1.
From Lemma 3, we have, for sufficiently large l,
Next, we prove that there exists a positive constant such that for sufficiently large l. Select a and such that and where
and . It can be proved that there exists a such that otherwise, for all we have Let Considering system
we obtain that the periodic solution of system (5) is globally asymptotically stable from Lemma 3. Furthermore, for for in accordance with the comparison theorem of the impulsive differential equations [29]. From system (2), we have
for Suppose Integrating system (6) on we have
that is, as which is a contradiction. Therefore, there is a such that Our goal is reached when for all Let . There are two cases for
Case 1: Then for and Select such that
where Let There exists a such that ; otherwise, we consider system (5). It can be derived that for which indicates that (6) holds true for thus From system (2), we derive
integrating the above system on thus Moreover,
which is a contradiction. Suppose . Subsequently, and For , the same discussion can be continued because Therefore, for
Case 2: Then for and Suppose There are two cases.
Case 2 (a): for all Similar to Case 1, there exists a such that we ignore it. Suppose For we have The same arguments can continue for ; thus, for
Case 2 (b): There exists a such that Let For integrating system (7), it can be concluded that The same discussion can continue for due to ; thus, for □
5. Simulation and Discussion
In this section, in order to examine our results obtained in previous sections and to explore complex dynamic behaviors of the system, some numerical simulations are inserted. At first, we verify the condition of the pest-eradication periodic solution globally asymptotically stable, and test the condition of permanence of system (2).
Suppose We obtain
Condition of Theorem 2 holds. Thus, is globally asymptotically stable (see Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Global asymptotic stability of : (a) Time-series of (b) Time-series of (c) Phase portrait.
Set and maintain other parameters of system (2). We derive
Clearly, which indicates that Theorem 3 holds true. Therefore, system (2) is permanent (see Figure 2).
Figure 2.
Permanence of system (2) with : (a) Time-series of and (b) Phase portrait.
Next, we study complex dynamic behaviors of system (2). If we assume that the parameters of system (2) are the bifurcation diagrams listed below about a parameter , which transforms from to , can be derived (see Figure 3). System (2) exhibits a rich variety of dynamic behaviors, including cycles, period-doubling cascades, chaos, and period-halving cascades. Corresponding examples are shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Figure 3.
Bifurcation diagrams of system (2) about with .
Figure 4.
Period-doubling cascades lead to system into chaos: (a) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at (b) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at (c) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at (d) Phase portrait of chaos at .
Figure 5.
Period-halving cascades lead to a system from chaos into a periodic solution: (a) Phase portrait of chaos at (b) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at (c) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at (d) Phase portrait of a periodic solution at .
Next, we research the effect of the impulsive period for the studied system. Suppose parameters of system (2) are as follows: We obtain the bifurcation diagrams of system (2) about impulsive period changing from 0.01 to 16 (See Figure 6). From Figure 6, it can be seen that as the impulsive period increases, system (2) undergoes a sequence of behaviors, including cycles, period-doubling bifurcations, chaos, period-halving bifurcations, and cycles. Moreover, there exists an optimal impulsive period which indicates that pest extinction will occur if the impulsive control period is less than 1.7.
Figure 6.
Bifurcation diagrams of system (2) about with .
It is obvious that the amount of released predators (natural enemies) and the impulsive period have a violent impact on the dynamical property of the system, according to the Figure 3 and Figure 6. Therefore, the impulsive period and the number of released natural enemies should be chosen prudently so that the system can realize an ideal state, which is expected by people.
6. Conclusions
In this article, we propose a predator–prey model with fear factor and impulsive nonlinear effects. This approach is based on the practical consideration of determining pesticide application methods according to an existing pest population, as well as accounting for the influence of fear on prey reproduction. The globally asymptotically stable conditions of the pest-extinction periodic solution and the permanent condition of the investigated system are derived in accordance with the Floquet theory and the comparison theorem of differential equations. Meanwhile, we also give some simulations to verify our theoretical results. Moreover, we study the more complicated dynamical behaviors of the investigated system, too. Our results indicate that there exists an optimal impulsive period for successful pest management. Furthermore, the impulsive period and amount of released predators will dramatically change the dynamical behaviors of the investigated system. Therefore, we conclude that an appropriate impulsive control period and amount of released predators (natural enemy) should be determined because different parameters cause different scale outbreaks of pests. These outcomes help us design appropriate control strategies and assist us in management decision-making.
Without a doubt, some interesting issues should be considered by us. For instance, what dynamic behaviors will be generated in a system if we consider pest resistance to pesticides due to long-term usage of pesticides? What dynamical behaviors will happen if we think that a pest has a stage structure? These problems will be addressed in our future work.
Author Contributions
J.J.: Writing—Reviewing and Validation, editing. Y.X.: Writing—Original draft. Y.Z.: Simulations. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This paper is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.12261018), Universities Key Laboratory of Systems Modeling and Data Mining in Guizhou Province (No.2023013), Innovation exploration and Academic New seedling Project of Guizhou University of Finance and Economics (No. 2024XSXMA08).
Data Availability Statement
The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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