In the world of baking, the word "yeast" is used carelessly. We treat the beige granules in a packet and the wild population in a sourdough starter as if they are the same organism just living at different speeds. They are not.

When you mix flour and water for the first time, you are not just making dough; you are terraforming a new world. You are initiating a biological sequence known as Ecological Succession. This process is violent, chaotic, and predictable. It involves a war for resources, a "Great Extinction" event, and finally, the establishment of a stable civilization.