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Degradation Of Riparian Leaves And The Recycling Of Nutrients In A Stream Ecosystem, Louis A. Krumholz, Roger G. Lambert, Charles R. Liston, Harry H. Woodward

KWRRI Research Reports

Leaves collected at 4 stations in the upper 5 km of Doe Run, Meade County, Kentucky, indicated an annual accumulation within the stream of 354 g/m²/year (17,700 kg). Leaves of sycamore (23.6%), red oak (21.7%), sugar maple (9.7%), beech (9.6%), white oak (7.1%), and hickory (6.0%) trees were most abundant, and leaves from 14 other kinds made up the remaining 22.3%. About a third of the annual leaf fall occurred during the last half of October and about two-thirds in the last 3 months of the year.

Calorific equivalents for different kinds of leaves ranged from 3,789 cal/g …