Rare events control ecosystem N loss: Beyond the leaky pipe for Black students in ecology

I study how elevated rates of nitrogen (N) deposition affect ecosystems. My work is developing a framework that integrates mechanisms driving N loss to predict when ecosystems become saturated with N. The more time I spend disentangling the N loss mechanisms, the more I understand how N loss is controlled by rare opportunities when resources become available to microbes. Similarly, the clearer it becomes how the academy only allows for rare opportunities for Black people in ecology. I believe that it is critical for researchers to adopt community action and organizing as a practice inside and outside of academia.