Runge–Kutta Methods for Monotone Differential and Delay Equations

Classes of Runge–Kutta methods preserving the monotonicity of ordinary and delay differential equations are identified. Essentially, the vector b and the matrix A from the Butcher tableau should be such that all components of b are positive and all components of the matrix B(r)A, where B(r) is the inverse of the matrix I+rA, are nonnegative for sufficiently small positive r. The latter is satisfied by all explicit, diagonally-implicit and fully implicit Runge–Kutta methods for which all of the components of the matrix A, except those that are zero by definition, are positive.