Diversity of fungi species that decompose Ceriops tagal leaf litter on Pulau Sembilan, Langkat Regency

One of the processes in mangrove ecosystems that contributes greatly to water fertility is the decomposition or breakdown of mangrove litter. Fungi, as decomposers in the process of decomposing litter, have an important role in the ecosystem and also play a role in regulating nutrient availability and carbon cycling.This research was conducted to determine the number of species and diversity of fungi found in decomposed C. tagal leaf litter, to measure the rate of decomposition of C. tagal leaf litter and to determine the levels of carbohydrates and proteins during the decomposition process.The research was carried out at the Forest Cultivation Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara. The sampling location of C. tagal leaf litter was in the mangrove ecosystem on Pulau Sembilan, PangkalanSusu District, Langkat Regency.The determination of carbohydrate and protein content was carried out at the Medan Industrial Research and Standardization Center.The research was conducted from June 2022 to December 2022.The average rate of litter decomposition was obtained using the formula: ln (X t /X 0 ) = -kt, and analysis of carbohydrate and protein content using the SNI 01-2891-1992 method.The results of this research showed that there were 5 types of fungi found in the decomposition process of C. tagal leaf litter, which were Aspergillus sp. 1, Aspergillus sp. 2, Penicillium sp., Trichoderma sp. and Culvularia sp. The average value of fungal diversity is 1.19, which is included in the medium category. The decomposition rate of C. tagal leaf litter was 7.55 per year. On day 90, the lowest carbohydrate content was 3.62% and the highest protein content was 5.4%.