Kolmogorov vector fields with robustly permanent subsystems (Q5961168)

The paper is concerned with modeling the population dynamics. The model of the behaviour of \(n\) species is described by a system of Kolmogorov equations (K): \(\dot{x}_i=x_if_i(x)\), \(i=1,\ldots,n\), where \(x=(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\) is a vector of densities, \(f_i(x)\), \(i=1,\ldots,n\), are per-capita growth rates and \(x\geq 0\). On the basis of a previous paper by \textit{S. J. Schreiber} [J. Differ. Equations 162, No.~2, 400-426 (2000; Zbl 0956.34038)], the authors show that all subsystems of the dissipative Kolmogorov system (K) are robustly permanent if and only if the external Lyapunov exponents are positive for every ergodic probability measure with support in the boundary of the nonnegative orthant. In case of a dissipative Lotka-Volterra system (\(f(x)=Ax+b\)), this is equivalent to the property that every equilibrium \(x^{*}\) satisfies \(f_i(x^{*})>0\) whenever \(x^{*}_{i}=0\).