Quiescence stabilizes predator-prey relations

The classical MacArthur Rosenzweig predator-prey system has a stable coexistence point or, if either the prey capacity is large or the predator mortality is low, a stable limit cycle. The question here is how the stability properties of the coexistence point change when the prey or the predator or both can go quiescent. It can be shown that a stable equilibrium stays stable, but an unstable equilibrium may become stable. The exact stability domain is determined. In general, increasing the duration of the quiescent phase of the prey or of the predator widens the stability window. Numerical studies show that limit cycles shrink when quiescent phases are introduced.