Biodiversity of Termites and Fungi in Two Botanical Gardens in Batam, Riau Island Province and Kuningan, West Java Province

Abstract

Termites and fungi play an important role through promotion of essential ecological processes in ecosystems such as soil modification and rehabilitation, also decomposition of lignocellulosic materials. However, termite is also known as pest toward vegetation, while fungi can also cause bio-deterioration problems. Biodiversity evaluation of termites and fungi are essential for sustainable management and area planning of botanical garden. Hence, this study reviews the importance of recording biodiversity of fungi and termites in botanical garden in Batam, Riau Island Province and Kuningan, West Java province. The research was conducted by active searching method or exploration on termites and fungi on selected plot areas in the aforementioned botanical gardens. The result of this study indicated that biodiversity of termites and fungi were high on selected areas. The presence of termite and fungi in the ecosystem might beneficially support the ecosystem. However, further studies on ecological condition, soil type and climate need to be addressed to determine their influences on biodiversity of termites and fungi.