Leaf litter decomposition along the Porsuk River, Eskisehir, Turkey

The leaf litter decomposition of Typha latifolia L., Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin, ex Steud., Acacia longifolia Willd., Populus alba L., and Salix alba L. along the Porsuk River, Eskisehir, Turkey was studied using the fibreglass bag technique. After 180 days, soft-leaved species such as Acacia longifolia decomposed more quickly (0.52% loss.day(-1)) than the tougher leaved species such as Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis (0.31 and 0.37% loss.day(-1), respectively). Typha latifolia had the toughest while Acacia longifolia had the softest leaves among the five species as measured with a penetrometer (428.0 versus 128.2 g). Both leaf toughness and time were related to percent loss per day (F = 4.4, p < 0.01 and F = 37.0, p < 0.01, respectively). World trends in percent loss per day for Typha latifolia do not fit predictions based solely on latitude.