Basin Transition and Alternative States: Role of Multi-species Herbivores-Induced Volatile in Plant–Insect Interactions

A simple model on volatile organic compound (VOC)-mediated plant–insect interactions is proposed and examined here, when two different classes of herbivorous insects competing for a common resource (plant) in the presence of a specialist carnivorous enemy, which only predates one of the herbivore species. We, particularly, emphasize the impact of VOCs on plant’s growth fitness. The system experiences several local and global bifurcations with emergent alternative states for variations in recruitment factors and predation rate. Basin transitions and basin of attractions have provided detail descriptions on the selectivity of the alternative states, when only one of the herbivore species can survive depending on the choice of initial population densities of the interacting species and how it provides a steady growth in plant. Additionally, our results support the concept of competitive exclusion principle in an indirect interspecific competition between the two herbivore types for the common resource, plant.