Positive solutions of a class of linear systems (Q1076106)

This delightful paper consists of a useful sufficient condition in order that the solution of a linear algebraic system have positive components and explains how this result applies directly to ecological models. For the matrices A, \(m\times m\), B, \(m\times n-m\), C, n-m\(\times m\), D, n-m\(\times n-m\), x, \(m\times 1\), y, n-m\(\times 1\), f, \(m\times 1\) and g, n-m\(\times 1\), let \[ \left( \begin{matrix} A\\ C\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} B\\ - D\end{matrix} \right)\left( \begin{matrix} x\\ y\end{matrix} \right)=\left( \begin{matrix} f\\ g\end{matrix} \right) \] be a linear system, \(A_ 0\) and \(D_ 0\) be diagonal matrices consisting of the diagonal elements of A and D respectively, and Y and X be the matrices, \[ Y=\left( \begin{matrix} A_ 0\\ C\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} 0\\ -D_ 0\end{matrix} \right),\quad X=Y^{-1}\left( \begin{matrix} A-A_ 0\\ 0\end{matrix} \begin{matrix} B\\ -D+D_ 0\end{matrix} \right). \] The following is proved. If 1) the elements of f and g are positive, 2) the elements of \(A_ 0\) and \(D_ 0\) are positive, 3) the elemennts of A, B, C, D are non-negative, 4) the elements of \(Y^{-1}\left( \begin{matrix} f\\ g\end{matrix} \right)\) are positive, and 5) the elements of \((I-X)Y^{-1}\left( \begin{matrix} f\\ g\end{matrix} \right)\) are positive, then the solution \(\left( \begin{matrix} x\\ y\end{matrix} \right)\) exists and consists of positive components. For a Lotka-Volterra ecological model, condition 1) corresponds to the sign of species growth rates, 2) corresponds to intraspecies competition, and 3) to interspecies competition and predation. Conditions 4) and 5) correspond to a maximum positive saturation level of each prey species in the absence of all other species and corresponding to this, a maximum positive saturation level of each predator species in the absence of all other predator species.