Allee effect in models of interacting species

Abstract

The search for more realistic models for interacting species has produced many adaptations of the original Lotka-Volterra equations, such as the inclusion of the Allee effect and the different Holling's types of functional response. In the present work we show that a correct implementation of both ideas together requires a careful formulation. We focus our work in the fact that a density dependent carrying capacity, combined with the Allee effect, can lead to meaningless effects. We illustrate the difficulties in predator-prey and two-species competition models, together with our proposed solution of the careful inclusion of the corresponding cubic terms.