Species Diversity and Microhabitat Adaptation of Selaginella in the Urban Landscape of Malang City
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Background: Selaginella is an ancient heterosporous lycophyte with a center of diversity in tropical regions and high sensitivity to microhabitat conditions, while urbanization pressure has the potential to trigger habitat fragmentation and environmental filtration that affect the structure of the understory plant community Objective: This study aims to analyze the species diversity and microhabitat response of Selaginella in the urban landscape of Malang City. Methods: The study was conducted descriptively and exploratively in five subdistricts using stratified purposive sampling based on microhabitat type. Species data, morphological characteristics, and microenvironmental parameters (light intensity, temperature, humidity, and soil pH) were analyzed using Simpson's index, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation. Results: The results showed that Selaginella was found at 19 points out of 72 observation points with four species identified and a strong dominance of Selaginella eurynota (D = 0.499; H' = 0.971), while the environmental parameters between microhabitats did not differ significantly (p > 0.05), indicating microclimate homogeneity Conclusion: These findings confirm that community structure is more influenced by microclimate stability and species ecological tolerance than by contrasting abiotic variations, so urban green space management needs to consider habitat heterogeneity to support the sustainability of tropical ferns.
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