Uniqueness of periodic solutions of a nonautonomous density-dependent predator-prey system (Q465183)

The authors investigate a predator-prey model where the functional response the denominator not only depends on prey but also on predator density. All parameters are positive continuous functions of time. First, the authors establish simple inequalities for the parameters which guarantee that any positive solution persists in some compact subset of the positive quadrant. In what follows, the parameters are assumed to be T-periodic. The authors then use the Brouwer fixed-point theorem to prove that there exists at least one positive T-periodic solution or one positive equilibrium. Next, by means of a Lyapunov function, and imposing some further conditions on the parameters, it is shown that any positive periodic solution is globally attractive, which implies uniqueness of such solutions. The last part of the paper treats the case when the predator is becoming extinct. If, in particular, predators are absent, the prey density has to satisfy a Riccati equation which may be solved directly; moreover, a T-periodic ``boundary''-solution of this equation is found in explicit form. Finally, the authors state conditions under which any nonzero solution starting in the nonnegative quadrant tends to this periodic boundary solution which therefore is unique. Four numerical examples illustrate the results of the paper.