Traveling front in a diffusive predator–prey model with Beddington–DeAngelis functional response

Abstract

In this paper, we consider a singular diffusive predator–prey model with Beddington–DeAngelis functional response, employing geometric singular perturbation theory and Bendixson's criteria. Our investigation revolves around transforming the reaction–diffusion equation into a multi‐scale four‐dimensional slow–fast system with two different orders of small parameters. Through once singular perturbation analysis, our focus shifts towards exploring the existence of heteroclinic orbits in a three‐dimensional system. We analyze these dynamics through the perspective of the Fisher–KPP equation in two limit cases. In the first case, only the normal to the two‐dimensional slow manifold is unstable. This allows for the deduction of existence of heteroclinic orbits in the three‐dimensional system through investigating the dynamics on the two‐dimensional slow manifold. Consequently, we obtain both monotonic traveling fronts and non‐monotonic fronts with oscillatory tails. In the second case, the normal to the one‐dimensional slow manifold exhibits both stable and unstable directions, then it is impossible to restrict the dynamics of the three‐dimensional system entirely to the slow manifold. Instead, we integrate the slow orbits of the reduced system with the fast orbits of the layer system to construct a singular heteroclinic orbit. According to Fenichel's theorem, we discover the existence of exact heteroclinic orbits of three‐dimensional system and derive the monotonic traveling fronts under weaker parameter conditions. Additionally, we also discuss the nonexistence of traveling fronts. Finally, we demonstrate our theoretical results with numerical simulations.