<![CDATA[The genus Ficus plays a vital role in tropical forest ecosystems as a keystone species that supports biodiversity and ecosystem stability. This study aims to analyse vegetation structure, species diversity, regeneration patterns, and the influence of environmental factors on Ficus communities in the Manggis Gadungan Nature Reserve, East Java. The study employed a hierarchical plot method across 40 plots (20 × 20 m) with a total area of approximately 1.6 ha. Vegetation data were collected at the seedling, sapling, pole, and tree levels, and analysed using the Importance Value Index (IVI), the Shannon–Wiener index (H’), evenness index (E), Simpson’s dominance index (D). Environmental factors measured included light intensity, air humidity, soil pH, and soil moisture. Results showed 15 Ficus species with a total of 129 individuals. H’ values ranged from 2.1 to 2.8 (moderate to high diversity), with evenness of 0.62–0.81, indicating that individual distribution was not yet even. Dominance patterns varied between strata, with the highest INP at the pole level. Regeneration indicated a bottleneck at the seedling stage (regeneration bottleneck). Environmental factors, particularly light intensity and soil moisture, influenced species distribution. In conclusion, the Ficus community exhibits relatively high diversity, yet its regeneration is not yet stable and is influenced by environmental conditions.]]>
