Constructive role of noise and diffusion in an excitable slow-fast population system

Abstract

We study the effects of noise and diffusion in an excitable slow-fast population system of the Leslie-Gower type. The phenomenon of noise-induced excitement is investigated in the zone of stable equilibria near the Andronov-Hopf bifurcation with the Canard explosion. The stochastic generation of mixed-mode oscillations is studied by numerical simulation and stochastic sensitivity analysis. Effects of the diffusion are considered for the spatially distributed variant of this slow-fast population model. The phenomenon of the diffusion-induced generation of spatial patterns-attractors in the Turing instability zone is demonstrated. The multistability and variety of transient processes of the pattern formation are discussed. © 2020 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.