Ecology and Climate: Feedbacks Decide the Outcome
Remove one predator and rivers can change course. The size of a change tells you little — what matters is whether the system amplifies it or absorbs it.
Topic
Population Ecology
Competitive Exclusion: Two Things Cannot Want Exactly the Same Thing
Species with identical needs cannot coexist — a small consistent advantage compounds until one is gone. Which means anything living side by side must differ, and finding how is informative.
Carrying Capacity: The Ceiling That Can Be Lowered
A population grows until the resource runs short — then often keeps going past the limit. What makes overshoot serious is that it can damage the resource base and leave the ceiling permanently lower.