Mutual interference as a factor for the cooccurrence and population dynamics of insect predator and mosquito prey system: validating through models

Abstract

Several models have been proposed as an extension to the classical Holling’s disc equation to evaluate the predator and prey interactions and their applied aspect in biological control and population regulation of the target organisms. In a one prey and two predator dynamic system with mutual interference (m) as a quadratic parameter of predator density, an evaluation was made to the resultant impact on the prey. A simulation was carried out to see the extinction of prey and the stability of the system at origin, i.e., when all the three species are extinct. We assumed the data obtained for the interactions between the mosquito and the water bug predators that are common in the freshwater wetlands and involved in the population regulation. Despite the benefits to prey population due to interference competition, the expected extinction of prey is still observed. With varying magnitudes of m the declining growth curve of prey population, shifted. The equation proposed was also compared with Crowley–Martin functional response, and considerable differences were observed in selected instances when compared for the growth rate of the predators, in a species-specific manner. The stability of the system was deduced with eigenvalues of Jacobian matrix at origin to prove the extinction is stable. Our assessment supports the possible cooccurrence of the predators and mosquito prey in the wetlands with the mutual interference being one of the major factors.