Global solvability and stability of a protective taxis model with reverse predation

In this paper, we propose and analyze a reaction–diffusion system describing stage-structured predator–prey interactions with protective taxis and reverse predation. In this model, prey species attack and may consume juvenile predators, while adult predators feed on the prey. The protective behavior of adult predators is modeled by a density-dependent taxis term that induces aggregation toward regions with high juvenile density. We establish the global existence and uniform boundedness of classical solutions. Our results cover both non-consumptive defensive attacks and consumptive interactions between prey and juvenile predators. In addition, we investigate the stability of constant steady states via the linearized eigenvalue problem and the effect of protective taxis on the stability.