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As symmetric spreading in highly advective, disordered environments

Carpenter, John H.

Spreading of bacteria in a highly advective, disordered environment is examined. Predictions of super-diffusive spreading for a simplified reaction-diffusion equation are tested. Concentration profiles display anomalous growth and super-diffusive spreading. A perturbation analysis yields a crossover time between diffusive and super-diffusive behavior. The time's dependence on the convection velocity and disorder is tested. Like the simplified equation, the full linear reaction-diffusion equation displays super-diffusive spreading perpendicular to the convection. However, for mean positive growth rates the full nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation produces symmetric spreading with a Fisher wavefront, whereas net negative growth rates cause an asymmetry, with a slower wavefront velocity perpendicular to the convection.