The diffusive competition model with a free boundary: invasion of a superior or inferior competitor

Abstract: In this paper we consider the diffusive competition model consisting of an invasive species with density

u

and a native species with density

v

, in a radially symmetric setting with free boundary. We assume that

v

undergoes diffusion and growth in

R^{N}

, and

u

exists initially in a ball

r < h (0)

, but invades into the environment with spreading front

r = h (t)

, with

h (t)

evolving according to the free boundary condition

h^{'} (t) = - m u u_{r} (t, h (t))

, where

m u > 0

is a given constant and

u (t, h (t)) = 0

. Thus the population range of

u

is the expanding ball

r < h (t)

, while that for

v

is

R^{N}

. In the case that

u

is a superior competitor (determined by the reaction terms), we show that a spreading-vanishing dichotomy holds, namely, as

t o i n f t y

, either

h (t) o i n f t y

and

(u, v) o (u^{*}, 0)

, or

l i m_{t o i n f t y} h (t) < i n f t y

and

(u, v) o (0, v^{*})

, where

(u^{*}, 0)

and

(0, v^{*})

are the semitrivial steady-states of the system. Moreover, when spreading of

u

happens, some rough estimates of the spreading speed are also given. When

u

is an inferior competitor, we show that

(u, v) o (0, v^{*})

as

t o i n f t y

.

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