Abstract

Soil samples were collected from three different locations within the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife Campus complex and labelled according to the site of collections as PAG (park and garden), HOR (hall of residence) and BIS (biological sciences). The total bacterial and fungal counts of the soil samples were estimated using standard spread plate technique. A pH meter was used to monitor soil pH while isolates were identified by their cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics using established procedures. Bacterial counts were in the order of 10⁵-10⁷ cfu/g of soil, while fungal counts were in the order of 10³-10⁵ cfu/g of soil. The highest bacterial count was observed in PAG, while the lowest value was seen in HOR. Fungal counts were high in PAG and low in BIS. Similar bacterial and fungal species were encountered in the different sampling locations in course of this study, but their occurrences and levels of predominance were different. Bacillus spp dominated the bacterial isolates while Aspergillus spp was the most dominant fungus across the different sampling locations. A near neutral pH was observed across the sampling sites. Bacterial and fungal abundance were typical of an environment with high species richness and functional diversity.

Key words: Culturable bacterial, fungi, top soil.