A homoclinic route to chaos in omnivore communities

Abstract

Omnivory, where species feed across multiple trophic levels, is a widespread feature of ecological networks. A key mechanism underlying such complexity is intraguild predation (IGP), in which a top predator consumes both an intermediate predator and a shared resource. Here, we show that Shilnikov homoclinic orbits emerge in a minimal intraguild predation model, triggering a cascade of homoclinic bifurcations near a saddle-focus equilibrium that culminates in chaos. Numerical simulations and Lyapunov spectrum analysis reveal multiple coexistence modes, ranging from regular oscillations to Shilnikov homoclinic orbits and chaos. Our model quantitatively reproduces patterns observed in natural omnivore networks, providing mechanistic insights into complex population fluctuations in ecological systems.