Lyapunov exponents and persistence in discrete dynamical systems (Q2272140)

This paper deals with uniform persistence of discrete finite-dimensional dynamical systems of the form \[ x_{n+1}=f(x_n,y_n),\qquad y_{n+1}=A(x_n,y_n)y_n, \] in the positive orthant. Sufficient conditions are formulated in terms of Lypunov exponents, which are used to characterize weak boundary repellers. Here the essential assumptions are that a nontrivial compact invariant set exists on a bounding hyperplane, and that all so-called normal Lyapunov exponents are positive on such a set. The results are applied to two nontrivial models: (1) A plant-herbivore model, showing that both plant and herbivore persist. (2) A model of a fungal disease in a stage-structured (juvenile and adult) host, showing that the host persists and the disease is endemic.