Aggregation as a Double-Edged Sword: Fear, Allee Effects, and Finite-Time Collapse (opens in new tab)

Prey aggregation is widely regarded as a defense against predation, yet we show that in disease-structured populations subject to predator-induced fear and demographic Allee thresholds, aggregation can paradoxically accelerate ecosystem collapse. We develop and analyze a susceptible-infectious-predator model incorporating dual fear responses -- together with a sublinear aggregation-based predation term and an Allee effect. Critically, we derive ...