Dynamics of smooth essentially strongly order-preserving semiflows with application to delay differential equations

In this paper, we introduce a class of smooth essentially strongly order-preserving semiflows and improve the limit set dichotomy for essentially strongly order-preserving semiflows. Generic convergence and stability properties of this class of smooth essentially strongly order-preserving semiflows are then developed. We also establish the generalized Krein–Rutman Theorem for a compact and eventually essentially strongly positive linear operator. By applying the main results of this paper to essentially cooperative and irreducible systems of delay differential equations, we obtain some results on generic convergence and stability, the linearized stability of an equilibrium and the existence of the most unstable manifold in these systems. The obtained results improve some corresponding ones already known. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.