https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2017-70017-5
Regular Article
Rhythmogenesis, birhythmicity and chaos in a metapopulation model
1 Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, Punjab–140 001, India
2 Chaos and Complex Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Burdwan, Rajbati, Bardhaman, West Bengal–713 104, India
a e-mail: tbanerjee@phys.buruniv.ac.in
b e-mail: parthasharathi@iitrpr.ac.in
Received: 20 January 2017
Revised: 24 March 2017
Published online: 21 June 2017
We study a mean-field coupled ecological model of metapopulation in which species from spatially fragmented habitats are connected through dispersal. The interplay between dispersal and heterogeneous characteristics of connected habitats determines the mechanisms in promoting dispersal-induced synchrony and stability of metapopulation. Depending on dispersal rate and environmental heterogeneity, the mean-field coupling acts as a feedback to the system which enables various rhythmic processes such as rhythmogenesis and birhythmicity. In addition to that, heterogeneity determines period-doubling of limit cycle which further leads to chaotic oscillation.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2017
