LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions

The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX I and II) were a series of replicated in situ manipulations of 15N across biomes and land-uses designed to assess the factors that control the removal, retention, and ultimate fate of inorganic nitrogen in stream ecosystems. By studying streams at the c...

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Main Authors: Adam S. Wymore, Bianca M. Rodríguez-Cardona, Allison Herreid, William H. McDowell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Environmental Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00181/full
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author Adam S. Wymore
Bianca M. Rodríguez-Cardona
Allison Herreid
William H. McDowell
author_facet Adam S. Wymore
Bianca M. Rodríguez-Cardona
Allison Herreid
William H. McDowell
author_sort Adam S. Wymore
collection DOAJ
description The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX I and II) were a series of replicated in situ manipulations of 15N across biomes and land-uses designed to assess the factors that control the removal, retention, and ultimate fate of inorganic nitrogen in stream ecosystems. By studying streams at the continental scale, the lessons learned provide some of the best data available to understand the functional role of streams across the landscape, the management implications of nitrogen uptake in streams and rivers, and the value of small streams in elucidating fundamental principles of ecosystem science. Because small streams are characterized by high throughput and low standing stocks of primary producers and stored carbon and nutrients, they provide unique opportunities to assess the fundamental drivers of nitrogen cycling that would be difficult to conduct in other ecosystems. In addition to the water quality implications of understanding controls on nitrogen delivery to downstream systems, LINX I and II also provide unique insights for ecosystem science and stream ecology more broadly. Here we review a series of ecosystem and network-scale lessons that can be inferred from LINX I and II. We then propose three emergent research questions motivated by the LINX projects which are amenable to future continental-scale work. LINX I and II also demonstrate the value of a highly collaborative, distributed approach to ecosystem science that requires each member of the team to conduct a standardized protocol while simultaneously encouraging team member to improve protocols and develop cross-site projects in his or her specific area of expertise.
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spelling doaj.art-63a78396d29b4ed9b38ff0a1f978c7742022-12-22T03:04:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2019-11-01710.3389/fenvs.2019.00181474185LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging QuestionsAdam S. WymoreBianca M. Rodríguez-CardonaAllison HerreidWilliam H. McDowellThe Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX I and II) were a series of replicated in situ manipulations of 15N across biomes and land-uses designed to assess the factors that control the removal, retention, and ultimate fate of inorganic nitrogen in stream ecosystems. By studying streams at the continental scale, the lessons learned provide some of the best data available to understand the functional role of streams across the landscape, the management implications of nitrogen uptake in streams and rivers, and the value of small streams in elucidating fundamental principles of ecosystem science. Because small streams are characterized by high throughput and low standing stocks of primary producers and stored carbon and nutrients, they provide unique opportunities to assess the fundamental drivers of nitrogen cycling that would be difficult to conduct in other ecosystems. In addition to the water quality implications of understanding controls on nitrogen delivery to downstream systems, LINX I and II also provide unique insights for ecosystem science and stream ecology more broadly. Here we review a series of ecosystem and network-scale lessons that can be inferred from LINX I and II. We then propose three emergent research questions motivated by the LINX projects which are amenable to future continental-scale work. LINX I and II also demonstrate the value of a highly collaborative, distributed approach to ecosystem science that requires each member of the team to conduct a standardized protocol while simultaneously encouraging team member to improve protocols and develop cross-site projects in his or her specific area of expertise.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00181/fullLINXnitrogen cyclinginorganic nitrogenheadwater streamsriver networksdissolved organic nitrogen
spellingShingle Adam S. Wymore
Bianca M. Rodríguez-Cardona
Allison Herreid
William H. McDowell
LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
Frontiers in Environmental Science
LINX
nitrogen cycling
inorganic nitrogen
headwater streams
river networks
dissolved organic nitrogen
title LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
title_full LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
title_fullStr LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
title_full_unstemmed LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
title_short LINX I and II: Lessons Learned and Emerging Questions
title_sort linx i and ii lessons learned and emerging questions
topic LINX
nitrogen cycling
inorganic nitrogen
headwater streams
river networks
dissolved organic nitrogen
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00181/full
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AT allisonherreid linxiandiilessonslearnedandemergingquestions
AT williamhmcdowell linxiandiilessonslearnedandemergingquestions