Depok, July 10, 2026 — Epiphytic mosses have the potential to serve as indicators of environmental quality in urban areas. This finding was presented by Afiatry Putrika during her doctoral promotion examination for the Biology Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Indonesia (UI), on Thursday (July 9, 2026).
Afiatry defended her dissertation entitled “Study of Diversity and Adaptation of Epiphytic Mosses in Urban Areas of South Jakarta as Potential Environmental Quality Indicators” at the Pertamina Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory Building Hall, FMIPA UI, Universitas Indonesia Depok Campus.
The study showed that the community structure, diversity level, and adaptive capacity of epiphytic mosses are closely associated with urban environmental conditions influenced by air pollution and rising temperatures.
“Mosses may appear simple, but their presence can serve as an indicator of environmental conditions. The diversity of epiphytic mosses can be utilized to monitor environmental quality in urban areas,” said Afiatry.
The research was conducted in various green open spaces (RTH) across South Jakarta by examining the relationship between epiphytic moss community structure and environmental factors, as well as their morphological and anatomical adaptation characteristics and molecular responses through the expression of the heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) gene under temperature stress conditions.
According to Afiatry, studies on mosses as bioindicators of environmental quality remain limited in Indonesia, particularly those that comprehensively integrate aspects of diversity, environmental factors, and adaptation mechanisms.
“We hope this research can serve as a foundation for developing environmental quality biomonitoring while supporting more sustainable management of urban green open spaces,” she said.
The dissertation was prepared under the supervision of Promotor Dra. Andi Salamah, M.Agr., Ph.D., and Co-promotors Dr. Dra. Dian Hendrayanti, M.Sc., from the Department of Biology, FMIPA UI, and Nurul Laksmi Winarni, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D., from the Research Center for Climate Change, Universitas Indonesia.
In the promotion examination chaired by the Dean of FMIPA UI, Prof. Dr. Tito Latif Indra, M.Si., Afiatry Putrika was declared to have passed with the predicate of cum laude. She completed her doctoral studies in eight semesters with a GPA of 3.88. The results of her research have been published in three scientific articles in Scopus-indexed international journals.
