Lump of labour fallacy

Biological Parallel

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, elk populations declined—a fixed 'lump' of herbivore biomass shifted from elk to deer, right? Wrong. Wolf predation triggered a trophic cascade: elk changed behavior, vegetation recovered, beaver populations exploded, creating wetlands that supported entirely new niches. Ecosystems aren't zero-sum; they're generative. Energy flow isn't conserved like matter—it cascades, creating emergent niches and productivity. Fixed-pie thinking misses the cascade.