Deceptive pollination and insects’ learning: a delicate balance

Abstract

In this paper we propose and discuss a simple two-dimensional model describing the interaction between two species: a plant population that gets pollinated by an insect population. The plants attract the insects deceiving them and not delivering any reward. We are interested in analysing the effect of learning by the insect population due to unsuccessfully visiting the deceiving plants. We are especially interested in three elements: conditions for the simultaneous coexistence of both species, their extinction as a function of the biological cost of the deceptiveness for the pollinator, and the appearance of oscillations in the dynamics. We also look for conditions under which plants would be better off by switching to different strategies, in particular, we look for conditions for the existence and stability of the equilibria of the corresponding differential equations system, and the conditions for the existence of periodic solutions.