Eco-minds at work

For a report on green solutions on the go across the country, the Globe provides a snapshot of some of the projects: McGill researchers are drawing attention to what they call "ecosystem flips," a dramatic change in soil composition. Garry Peterson, an assistant professor in the geography department and its School of the Environment, and Elena Bennett, also at the environment school and an assistant professor in natural resource sciences, study the ability of soil and plants to withstand shocks to their ecosystems brought on by agriculture and land-use practices. These shocks can cause an acute change, or flip, leading to soil decline and leaving populations dependent on that soil suddenly vulnerable.