Substrate

"AWS margins are 20-30%, but revenue is $90B+ because they're the base of the pyramid. They're the "primary producers" in tech - creating the substrate that others build on. Level 2 - Platform intermediaries (Shopify, Stripe, app stores): Capture 2-5% transaction fees."

"... above the forest floor (better light, 3-5% instead of 1-2%) - Decomposing wood provides nutrients - Fewer competing roots from mature trees - Looser substrate (easier root penetration) - Moister microenvironment The nurse log is infrastructure the parent forest provides."

"...e earth in six months, fertilizing the seedlings below. The parents don't compete with their children for light or water or nitrogen. They become the substrate of the next generation. Pacific salmon do the same: Grow in ocean for 3-5 years, swim upstream, spawn (producing 2,000-5,000 eggs per female), then ..."

"... how ecosystems mature from bare ground to complex communities. Primary Succession: Life from Barren Rock Primary succession begins on lifeless substrate: Volcanic rock, glacial till, sand dunes. No soil exists. No seeds. No roots. Complete blank slate. Stage 1: Pioneer species (Years 0-10) The f..."

"...te multi-modal signals that are more reliable than any single channel alone. Peacock spiders combine visual displays (colored abdominal plates) with substrate-borne vibrations transmitted through leaves. Female wolf spiders assess male quality by evaluating both the visual rhythmic leg-waving and the synchr..."