The study on the complex nature of a predator-prey model with fractional-order derivatives incorporating refuge and nonlinear prey harvesting

The main objective of our research was to explore and develop a fractional-order derivative within the predator-prey framework. The framework includes prey refuge and selective nonlinear harvesting, where the harvesting progressively approaches a threshold value as the density of the harvested population advances. For memory effect, a non-integer order derivative is better than an integer-order derivative. The solutions to the fractional framework were shown to be existence, uniqueness, non-negativity, and boundedness. Matignon's condition was used for analysing local stability, and a suitable Lyapunov function provided global stability. While discussing the Hopf bifurcation's existence condition, we explored derivative order and refuge as bifurcation parameters. We aimed at redefining the predator-prey framework to incorporate fractional order, refuge, and harvesting. This kind of nonlinear harvesting is more realistic and reasonable than the model with constant yield harvesting and constant effort harvesting. The Adams-Bashforth-Moulton PECE algorithm in MATLAB software was used to simulate the proposed outcomes, investigate the impact on various factors, and analyse harvesting's effect on non-integer order predator-prey interactions.