Necessary Conditions for Multistationarity and Stable Periodicity

Abstract

We show in this paper that, for a differential system defined by a quasi-monotonous function f (with constant sign partial derivatives) the existence of a positive loop in the interaction graph associated to the Jacobian matrix of f is a necessary condition for multistationarity, and the existence of a negative loop comprising at least two elements is a necessary condition for stable periodicity. This gives a formal proof of R.Thomas's conjectures.