The effects of simple density-dependent prey diffusion and refuge in a predator-prey system (Q1998750)

This paper presents a simple nonlinear diffusion mechanism in a prey population to model a plausible adaptive response that counteracts intraspecific competition for resources. The model space includes an area free of predators. The saturation of prey by predators is also taken into account and included in the model using the Holling type II function. Such a scenario can be viewed as a simplified approximation to the problems of biological control or conservation, when diffusion, depending on the density of the prey population, affects the dynamics of the system compared to linear diffusion. The article gives an answer for a very simple case of nonlinear diffusion. As theoretical arguments, the authors use a new adaptation of the maximum principle to the nonlinear case and the classical results of the bifurcation theory. So, they could to show the existence of positive solutions in a steady state. The analysis is supplemented by a numerical computation of bifurcation curves for the case of nonlinear and linear diffusion cases.