The positive definiteness of a class of polynomials from the global stability analysis of Lotka-Volterra systems (Q1963084)

The two-species Lotka-Volterra competitive discrete diffusion system \[ \dot u_i=u_i(r_i-a u_i-bv_i)+\sum^n_{j=1} d_{ij} u_j,\;\dot v_i=v_i (s_i-cu_i-dv_i) +\sum^n_{j=1} e_{ij}v_j,\;i=1,\dots,n,\tag{1} \] is considered. Here, \(u_i\), \(v_i\) are numbers of the competing species in the \(i\)-th patch; \(a,b,c,d\) are positive constants with \(ad-bc>0\), and \(d_{ij},e_{ij} (i\neq j)\) are nonnegative constants with \(d_{ii}\), \(e_{ii}<0\) and \(d_{ii}+ \sum_{j\neq i}d_{ij}\leq 0\), \(e_{ii}+ \sum_{j \neq i} e_{ij}\leq 0\). The matrices \(D=(d_{ij})_{n\times n}\) and \(E= (e_{ij})_{n \times n}\) are assumed to be irreducible. The authors propose a mechanical procedure for checking the positive definiteness of polynomials from the stability analysis of this diffusion system. The Hofbauer-So-Takeuchi conjecture [Diff. Equ. Dyn. Syst. 4, No. 2, 213-223 (1996; Zbl 0868.34041)] is proved in the case of \(n=4\) based on the proposed procedure and the computer algebraic system MATHEMATICA.