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 systems with local diffusions as well as with nonlocal diffusions, 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.