Existence and instability of Neumann layer solutions for a 3-component Lotka-Volterra model with diffusion (Q1974233)

Consider the following three component isolated Lotka-Volterra system modeling the one-dimensional interaction of one predator \(v\) and two competing prey \(u_1\) and \(u_2\) \[ \begin{aligned} u_{1t} & = \varepsilon^2 Du_{1xx}+ u_1(1- u_1- cu_2- v),\\ u_{2t} & = \varepsilon^2 Du_{2xx}+ u_2(a- bu_1- u_2- kv),\\ \sigma v_t & = v_{xx}+ \sigma\alpha v(- r+ u_1+\beta ku_2)\end{aligned} \] for \(0< x< 1\) and all \(t> 0\) subject to the no flux boundary conditions \(u_{1x}= u_{2x}= v_x= 0\), \(x= 0,1,t> 0\). Here all parameters are positive. By using singular perturbation arguments, \textit{Y. Kan-on} and \textit{M. Mimura} [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 29, No. 6, 1519-1536 (1998; Zbl 0920.35015)] established the existence and stability of nonnegative spatially-inhomogeneous stationary solutions of this system for certain ranges of the parameters. In this paper it is shown by similar methods that unstable solutions of the same type also exist and that, as \(\varepsilon\to 0^+\), these solutions tend uniformly on any closed interval not including the origin to the spatially homogeneous solutions in which either \(u_1\) or \(u_2\) is identically zero (depending on the sign of \(r\)). These solutions are constructed by introducing a boundary layer at \(x= 0\) as \(\varepsilon\to 0^+\) and matching inner and outer expansions there. Finally, the instability of the solutions is established by linearization.