Stochastic Optimal and Time-Optimal Control Studies for Additional Food provided prey-predator Systems involving Holling Type-III Functional Response

Abstract: This paper consists of a detailed and novel stochastic optimal control analysis of a coupled non-linear dynamical system. The state equations are modeled as additional food provided prey-predator system with Holling Type-III functional response for predator and intra-specific competition among predators. We firstly discuss the optimal control problem as a Lagrangian problem with a linear quadratic control. Secondly we consider an optimal control problem in the time-optimal control setting. Stochastic maximum principle is used for establishing the existence of optimal controls for both these problems. Numerical simulations are performed based on stochastic forward-backward sweep methods for realizing the theoretical findings. The results obtained in these optimal control problems are discussed in the context of biological conservation and pest management.