Scilight Press

Fungi are one of the most common microorganisms dominating soil communities. Currently, soil ecosystem has changed due to anthropogenic activities. One of the efforts to stabilize the ecosystem is urban green spaces that covered by vegetation. There are still few studies that discuss the comparison of the presence of fungi in Surabaya Urban Green Space. This study aimed to quantify fungal colony abundance, characterize species composition, and assess the associations between soil physicochemical properties, soil texture, and vegetation with fungal occurrence in both study sites. This research was conducted to reveal differences in the presence of fungi in sport field and old revegetation site. Soil samples were collected and isolated fungi were identified using macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. Dominant filamentous fungi were subjected to further analysis through molecular identification using ITS5 and ITS4 markers. Our results analysis showed that soil sample from sports field yielded 2.61 ± 0.83 log CFU/g, whereas old revegetation site yielded 0.96 ± 0 log CFU/g. Differences in soil physical, chemical structures, and vegetation, influenced the presence of filamentous fungi at both sites. The common fungal genera identified in sport field and old revegetation area were: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Acremonium, Trichoderma. Culvularia and Cunninghamela were found in sport field and Paelomyces and Chrysosporium isolated from old revegetation area. The dominant species in sports field were Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum, whereas the dominant species in old revegetation area were Aspergillus parasiticus, Penicillium shearii, and Penicillium simplicissimum.