Similarity of general population matrices and pseudo-Leslie matrices

Abstract: A similarity transformation is obtained between general population matrices models of the Usher or Lefkovitch types and a simpler model, the pseudo-Leslie model. The pseudo Leslie model is a matrix that can be decomposed in a row matrix, which is not necessarily non-negative and a subdiagonal positive matrix. This technique has computational advantages, since the solutions of the iterative problem using Leslie matrices are readily obtained . In the case of two age structured population models, one Lefkovitch and another Leslie, the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropies are different, despite the same growth ratio of both models. We prove that Markov matrices associated to similar population matrices are similar.