Resonance and bifurcation in a discrete-time predator-prey system with Holling functional response

Abstract We perform a bifurcation analysis of a discrete predator–prey model with Holling functional response. We summarize stability conditions for the three kinds of fixed points of the map, further called F 1 , F 2 and F 3 and collect complete information on this in a single scheme. In the case of F 2 we also compute the critical normal form coefficient of the flip bifurcation analytically. We further obtain new information about bifurcations of the cycles with periods 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 16 of the system by numerical computation of the corresponding curves of fixed points and codim-1 bifurcations, using the software package MatContM . Numerical computation of the critical normal form coefficients of the codim-2 bifurcations enables us to determine numerically the bifurcation scenario around these points as well as possible branch switching to curves of codim-1 points. Using parameter-dependent normal forms, we compute codim-1 bifurcation curves that emanate at codim-2 bifurcation points in order to compute the stability boundaries of cycles with periods 4, 5, 8 and 16.