A Predator-Prey Model in the Chemostat with Time Delay

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of predator-prey interaction in a chemostat to determine whether including a discrete delay to model the time between the capture of the prey and its conversion to viable biomass can introduce oscillatory dynamics even though there is a globally asymptotically stable equilibrium when the delay is ignored. Hence, Holling type I response functions are chosen so that no oscillatory behavior is possible when there is no delay. It is proven that unlike the analogous model for competition, as the parameter modeling the delay is increased, Hopf bifurcations can occur.