An investigation was carried out to study the decomposition of beech leaf litter by soil decomposers at different temperatures.
Mesh bags, each containing 50 g of leaf litter, were buried in soil. The mass of organic matter lost from the bags was measured after 12 days.
The results are shown in the table below.
| Soil Temperature in ∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C | Mass of organic matter lost after 12 days in g\text{g}g |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1.8 |
| 10 | 4.2 |
| 15 | 9.6 |
| 20 | 16.8 |
| 25 | 22.8 |
| 30 | 25.2 |
The mean rate of decomposition of the leaf litter at 15 ∘C15\text{ }^\circ\text{C}15 ∘C was 0.80 g per day.
Calculate the mean rate of decomposition of the leaf litter at 20 ∘C20\text{ }^\circ\text{C}20 ∘C.
