Period Doubling Cascades in a Predator-Prey Model with a Scavenger

The dynamics of the classic planar two-species Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model are well understood. We introduce a scavenger species, who scavenges the predator and is also a predator of the common prey. For this model, we analytically prove that all trajectories are bounded in forward time, and numerically demonstrate persistent bounded paired cascades of period-doubling orbits over a wide range of parameter values. Standard analytical and numerical techniques are used in the analysis of this model making it an ideal pedagogical tool. We include exercises and an open-ended project to promote mastery of these techniques.