Long time behavior of random and nonautonomous Fisher-KPP equations. Part I. Stability of equilibria and spreading speeds

Abstract: In the current series of two papers, we study the long time behavior of the following random Fisher-KPP equation $$ u_t =u_{xx}+a(\theta_t\omega)u(1-u),\quad x\in\mathbb{R} $$ where $\omega\in\Omega$, $(\Omega, \mathcal{F},\mathbb{P})$ is a given probability space, $\theta_t$ is an ergodic metric dynamical system on $\Omega$, and $a(\omega)>0$ for every $\omega\in\Omega$. We also study the long time behavior of the following nonautonomous Fisher-KPP equation, $$ u_t=u_{xx}+a_0(t)u(1-u),\quad x\in\mathbb{R}$$ where $a_0(t)$ is a positive locally H\"older continuous function. In this first part of the series, we investigate the stability of positive equilibria and the spreading speeds. Under some proper assumption on $a(\omega)$, we show that the constant solution $u=1$ of (1) is asymptotically stable with respect to strictly positive perturbations and show that (1) has a deterministic spreading speed interval $[2\sqrt{\underline a}, 2\sqrt{\bar a}]$, where $\underline{a}$ and $\bar a$ are the least and the greatest means of $a(\cdot)$, respectively, and hence the spreading speed interval is linearly determinant. It is shown that the solution of (1) with the initial function which is bounded away from $0$ for $x\ll -1$ and is $0$ for $x\gg 1$ propagates at the speed $2\sqrt {\hat a}$, where $\hat a$ is the average of $a(\cdot)$. Under some assumption on $a_0(\cdot)$, we also show that the constant solution $u=1$ of (2) is asymptotically stably and (2) admits a bounded spreading speed interval. It is not assumed that $a(\omega)$ and $a_0(t)$ are bounded above and below by some positive constants. The results obtained in this part are new and extend the existing results in literature on spreading speeds of Fisher-KPP equations. In the second part of the series, we will study the existence and stability of transition fronts of (1) and (2).