Letter to a Young Ecologist

Dear colleague,You have been on my mind. I worry that this relentlessly distracting world is impeding your journey toward becoming the productive ecologist you aim to be. The deep work that is needed to advance ecology requires time for reflection and reflection requires a mind that is clear, open, and eager. How do we make the most of each precious hour when time management is a zero-sum game? I still struggle to swat away the interruptions that define this age of acceleration, but after 20 years of navigating this rapidly shifting terrain, I have some words of advice. Spend your energy on three elements of ecology: natural history, quantitative reasoning, and communication.

Natural history is the core of ecological enquiry. Observing other species and recreating in their natural habitat is an important pastime for any human being who seeks to live an examined life and understand their place on this planet, but some of us love natural history so much that we have turned this pastime into a vocation. Observing the natural world is not just a perk of the job, it should be engraved in every ecologist's job description. Not everyone has deep connections to the rocks, soils, streams, and mountains in which moss, springtails, birds, and trees reside, but everyone should take time each day to witness something wild. Explore city parks, float meandering rivers, traverse mountain passes, and sit at the feet of ancient trees. Learning the names and behaviors of other species and playing in natural spaces grounds us, makes us grateful for what is freely provided to us, and humbles us as we struggle to learn how the world ticks at a time of unsettling change. What a rare gift that the very subject of study can also provide sanctuary in which to find strength, for “the land knows you, even when you are lost” (Kimmerer 2013). It is no coincidence that some of the most inspiring artists and scientists chose to wander on long walks to find their voice, so join the ranks of Austen, Brahms, Curie, and Darwin and take the natural world in strides. This simple practice will give you the mental capacity to engage in the other two elements of ecology.

Quantitative reasoning is our sharpest tool to “examine all things intensely and relentlessly” (Dillard 1989) while remaining intellectually honest. The marriage of mathematics and natural history gave birth to modern ecology because our ideas about the natural world must survive scrutiny when confronted with data. Healthy skepticism can guard against the fatal flaw of fooling yourself. Students who dread mathematics should not be deterred from ecology because a sense of curiosity is ultimately more important than mathematical aptitude (Wilson 2013). I barely passed calculus and my first research papers were unrepentant natural histories with little use for statistics, but I recognized my deficiency and reenrolled in calculus and linear algebra after defending my PhD. Practicing natural history endowed me with curiosity to discover natural truths, but engaging in the logic of mathematics and probability gave me new agency to winnow truth from fantasy. Learning how to use a statistical programming language to fit linear models, solve equations, find optima of functions, and compute probability densities is essential for quantifying the dynamics of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Some of you, after reading that last sentence, may have felt the specter of imposter syndrome raise the hairs on the back of your neck. If so, then you have joined a large group filled with brilliant minds that feel just like you. Remember that learning is a journey with no destination. Perfect is wherever you are today.

Communication through writing and speaking transforms your discoveries into human knowledge, for without the art of communication your discoveries wither on the vine. Productive ecologists are professional writers, and the best writers are often heavy readers. If you want to write well, then read good books to internalize what great writing looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Do not limit yourself to the classic ecological texts. Read novels. Read anything that elicits joy, sorrow, and especially wonder, because superior science communication fuses wonder with logic. Words can be sharp implements for expressing nuanced reasoning. Articulating your own arguments and deconstructing those of others requires deliberation, and the uncertainty of such moments can be breathtaking: you never know whether inspection of an argument will end in surrender to its irrefutable logic, or end in puzzlement compelling objections to its fallacy. This takes mental acuity, so do so when you are most alert. It is just as important to present your work to live audiences to whittle your argument down to its most salient points. Practice with your supportive friends and laboratory mates and work up to more skeptical audiences so that you can effectively communicate your arguments, discoveries, and stories. Avoid being beholden to your own words and relish a merciless editor. Perfect papers do not exist, and good papers only became good after persistent editing.

It may seem counterintuitive that to get ahead in an accelerating world, you should try slowing down. But your life and work will be richer if you give yourself the time to read deeply, write clearly, and reason quantitatively, preferably after taking that long walk.