The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX) were collaborative studies of nitrogen cycling in streams involving field tracer 15N stable isotope additions, simulation modeling, and intersite comparisons.
The central hypothesis of the LINX studies was:
The considerable variability among streams in uptake, retention, and cycling of nitrogen is controlled by key hydrodynamic, chemical, and metabolic characteristics that determine water retention, degree of nitrogen deficiency, and energy flow through food webs in stream ecosystems.
The original LINX I project ran from September 1996 through August 2001. A subsequent project known as LINX II began in September 2001 and ended in 2006. The late Dr. Patrick J. Mulholland (pictured) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory served as Principal Investigator for both LINX projects. The Division of Environmental Biology of the U.S. National Science Foundation funded these projects.
LINX sites included but were not limited to sites in the NSF Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Participating LTER sites included Kellogg Biological Station, H.J. Andrews, Konza Prairie, Coweeta, Hubbard Brook, Central Arizona/Phoenix, Arctic, Plum Island, and Luquillo.
The purpose of this web site is to provide information on the LINX methods and results, including publications. Many of the publications can be found on the personal web sites of the LINX investigators including particularly Jack Webster’s. Data from the LINX II project are available through the H.J. Andrews LTER data catalog
LINX II
Contact Steve Hamilton for more information.