The competitive dynamics of populations subject to an Allee effect

The Allee effect is introduced into intraspecific and two-species competitive models. We use phase plane analysis and simulation to investigate the dynamics of these models. Combining simple modeling and simulations, we demonstrate that the Allee effect alone could lead to alternative stable states in two-species competitive systems. In such systems, if interspecific competition is intense, both species may go extinct even if their population densities are high. Compared to a Lotka–Volterra competitive system, systems including Allee effect show obvious destabilization.