Food web dynamics: predators, prey, and cascading extinction
Food webs are directed graphs of who eats whom. Trophic level determines position. Trophic cascade: removing a top predator allows prey to explode, which depletes primary producers — cascading effects through the web. Connectance C = links/S² affects stability. May (1972): random webs become unstable when C·S·σ² > 1.