The moving patch model with fractional diffusion

Abstract

In this paper we study the following one-dimensional reaction-diffusion problem $$ u_t+(-\Delta)^s u=f(x-c t, u) \;\:\textrm{ in } \mathbb{R}\times (0,+\infty), $$ where $s>\frac{1}{2}$, $c \in \mathbb{R}$ is a prescribed velocity, and $f$ is of KPP type, which describes the evolution of a population in an advective environment subjected to nonlocal diffusion. We suppose the environment is such that it is only advantageous in a bounded ``patch", outside of which the species dies at an asymptotically constant rate. We first derive an optimal solvability criteria for the corresponding traveling waves problem $$\Delta^s u+c u^{\prime}+f(x, u)=0 \;\:\textrm{ in } \mathbb{R},$$ through the first eigenvalue of the associated linearized elliptic operator with drift. Then we use this criteria to establish the long time behavior of the solution to the parabolic problem, for any continuous bounded nonnegative initial data, leading the species either through their extinction or survival. Moreover, assuming that for $c=0$ the population survives, we show that there exist two positive critical speeds $c^{*}$ and $c^{**}$ such that for all $|c| <c^{*}$ the population persists, whereas and it perishes for $|c| >c^{**}$.