COMPONENT ALLEE EFFECTS AND STAGE‐SPECIFIC PREDATION: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL ISSUES

In this paper, we propose a two‐stage structured population model subject to component Allee effects in fecundity and maturation, and with two disturbances (predation only and harvest and predation) acting on both stages. It is shown that this combination leads to a demographic Allee effect—a characteristic that could be exploited in pest biological control, but on the other hand, it represents a bane in conservation biology. The analysis is performed for disturbances with functional responses type 2 and 3, and the models show that they yield qualitatively similar results. This characteristic is discussed from the species conservation and biological control point of view, together with possible extensions of this work.