Predator-prey interactions under fear effect and multiple foraging strategies
<p style='text-indent:20px;'>We propose and analyze the effects of a generalist predator-driven fear effect on a prey population by considering a modified Leslie-Gower predator-prey model. We assume that the prey population suffers from reduced fecundity due to the fear of predators. We investigate the predator-prey dynamics by incorporating linear, Holling type Ⅱ and Holling type Ⅲ foraging strategies of the generalist predator. As a control strategy, we have considered density-dependent harvesting of the organisms in the system. We show that the systems with linear and Holling type Ⅲ foraging exhibit transcritical bifurcation, whereas the system with Holling type Ⅱ foraging has a much more complex dynamics with transcritical, saddle-node, and Hopf bifurcations. It is observed that the prey population in the system with Holling type Ⅲ foraging of the predator gets severely affected by the predation-driven fear effect in comparison with the same with linear and Holling type Ⅱ foraging rates of the predator. Our model simulation results show that an increase in the harvesting rate of the predator is a viable strategy in recovering the prey population.</p>