Dynamical Analysis of a Lotka-Volterra Competition Model with both Allee and Fear Effect

Abstract: Population ecology theory is replete with density dependent processes. However trait-mediated or behavioral indirect interactions can both reinforce or oppose density-dependent effects. This paper presents the first two species competitive ODE and PDE systems where an Allee effect, which is a density dependent process and the fear effect, which is non-consumptive and behavioral are both present. The stability of the equilibria is discussed analytically using the qualitative theory of ordinary differential equations. It is found that the Allee effect and the fear effect change the extinction dynamics of the system and the number of positive equilibrium points, but they do not affect the stability of the positive equilibria. We also observe some special dynamics that induce bifurcations in the system by varying the Allee or fear parameter. Interestingly we find that the Allee effect working in conjunction with the fear effect, can bring about several qualitative changes to the dynamical behavior of the system with only the fear effect in place, in regimes of small fear. That is, for small amounts of the fear parameter, it can change a competitive exclusion type situation to a strong competition type situation. It can also change a weak competition type situation to a bi-stability type situation. However for large fear regimes the Allee effect reinforces the dynamics driven by the fear effect. The analysis of the corresponding spatially explicit model is also presented. To this end the comparison principle for parabolic PDE is used. The conclusions of this paper have strong implications for conservation biology, biological control as well as the preservation of biodiversity.