[MS10] Model Bifurcations and Ecological Relevance

[MS10-05] Mathematical Exploration of Risks and Advantages of Polyphagous Behaviour in Natural Enemies and Pests in the Context of Biological Control

*Sree Rama Vara Prasad Bhuvanagiri¹, Durga Prasad Kottu², Bhuvaneswari M S¹ (1. Vellore Institute of Technology (India), 2. VIT-AP University (India))

Keywords:

Biological Control,Supplementary Food,Omnivory,Prey-Predator,Alternative Stable States

Biological control is an eco-friendly approach to suppressing pests or weeds by releasing natural enemies into the environment. It is an integral part of integrated pest management. The primary objective of biological control is to reduce the use of chemical products to manage plant-damaging pests. Biocontrol practitioners typically choose to release non-specialist natural enemies rather than specialists to cut down on the time and money spent on controlling the pest populations. As a result of their polyphagous eating behaviour, generalist predators consume not only antagonistic prey but also non-prey sources of nutrition, viz., pollen, floral and plant tissue. Although using non-prey food sources positively contributes to the success of biological control, some other context influences biological control's success. One such factor is the omnivorous behaviour of the pest. The present work uses the dynamical system theory to analyse resource-prey-predator interaction when prey and predator consume additional food resources. Through the theoretical analysis, we investigate the stability and various bifurcations occurring in the system. The system analysis exposes many fascinating phenomena, such as alternative stable states leading to prey and/or predator extinction. The theory establishes the role of quality and quantity of supplementary food on the system dynamics and studies how one can limit and control not only the pest but also predators. This study aids eco-managers in choosing a suitable additional food supply to increase the biocontrol effectiveness of natural enemies when both pests and natural enemies are omnivorous.