Multiple Parameter Bifurcations in Ecological and Epidemiological Models

Shigui Ruan

Dalhousie University, Halifax and
Vanderbilt University

March 22, 2002

Abstract

In this talk we will see that many biological systems such as predator-prey models with constant harvesting, epidemiological models with nonlinear incidence rate, predator-prey models with nonmonotonic functional response, etc. exhibit codimension two bifurcations which include Hopf, saddle-node, and homoclinic bifurcations. Examples of codimension three bifurcations will also be given.