Free boundary problems with nonlocal and local diffusions I: Global solution

Abstract

We study a class of free boundary problems of ecological models with nonlocal and local diffusions, which are natural extensions of free boundary problems of reaction diffusion systems in there local diffusions are used to describe the population dispersal, with the free boundary representing the spreading front of the species. We prove that such kind of nonlocal and local diffusion problems has a unique global solution, and then show that a spreading-vanishing dichotomy holds. Moreover, criteria of spreading and vanishing, and long time behavior of solution when spreading happens are established for the classical Lotka-Volterra competition and prey-predator models. Compared with free boundary problems of reaction diffusion systems with local diffusions ([10,24,25]), with nonlocal diffusions ([9]) as well as with nonlocal and local diffusions ([14]) (one equation is Cauchy problem and the other one is free boundary problem), the present paper involves some new difficulties, which should be overcome by use of new techniques. This is part I of a two part series, where we prove the existence, uniqueness, regularity and estimates of global solution. The spreading-vanishing dichotomy, criteria of spreading and vanishing, and long-time behavior of solution when spreading happens will be studied in the separate part II ([17]).