Dynamics of Filippov Predator-Prey ecosystem with Role Reversal

The present study develops a Filippov-type prey-predator system that distinguishes between juvenile and adult predators, incorporates role-reversal effects and threshold-based switching, and analyzes the model within the framework of non-smooth dynamical systems. In typical predator-prey interactions, predators actively chase and prey primarily evade, whereas role reversal describes situations in which prey adopts passive avoidance when predators are temporarily vulnerable (e.g., juvenile). Research results indicate that the proposed three-dimensional switching system with role reversal exhibits rich bifurcation structures under threshold control, including boundary-node bifurcation and ET bifurcation occurring on sliding cycles. In particular, the system presents bifurcation behaviors of equilibrium points, pseudo-equilibrium points, sliding segments, and qualitative changes in limit cycles. The inclusion of role reversal in predator-prey interactions demonstrates the capacity of prey populations to adaptively modify counter-hunting strategies in response to environmental variation, and reveals the fundamental nature of reciprocal interaction and mutual constraint as a two-way game between predator and prey. Furthermore, the model provides valuable biological insight into the internal mechanisms governing transitions among anti-hunting states, stable coexistence, and conventional predation regimes in ecological systems, and contributes to a clearer understanding of the inherent self-regulating resilience of ecosystems.