Wave patterns in one-dimensional nonlinear degenerate diffusion equations

Abstract

Several different types of wave patterns occur in physiology, chemistry and biology. In many cases such phenomena are modelled by reactive-diffusive parabolic systems (see, for example, Fisher 1937; Kolmogorov et al. 1937; Winfree 1988; Murray 1989; Swinney & Krinsky 1992). In many biological and physical situations, dispersal is modelled by a density-dependent diffusion coefficient, for example, the bacterium Rhizobium diffuses through the roots of some leguminosae plants according to a nonlinear diffusive law (Lara-Ochoa & Bustos 1990); nonlinear diffusion has been observed in the dispersion of some insects (Okubo 1980) and small rodents (Meyers & Krebs 1974).