  Patterns in reaction-diffusion systems often contain two spatial scales; a
long scale determined by a typical wavelength or domain size, and a short scale
pertaining to front structures separating different domains. Such patterns
naturally develop in bistable and excitable systems, but may also appear far
beyond Hopf and Turing bifurcations. The global behavior of domain patterns
strongly depends on the fronts' inner structures. In this paper we study a
symmetry breaking front bifurcation expected to occur in a wide class of
reaction-diffusion systems, and the effects it has on pattern formation and
pattern dynamics. We extend previous works on this type of front bifurcation
and clarify the relations among them. We show that the appearance of front
multiplicity beyond the bifurcation point allows the formation of persistent
patterns rather than transient ones. In a different parameter regime, we find
that the front bifurcation outlines a transition from oscillating (or
breathing) patterns to traveling ones. Near a boundary we find that fronts
beyond the bifurcation can reflect, while those below it either bind to the
boundary or disappear.
