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Species-numbers relationships in the McKean Island assemblage of reef-building corals were investigated to discover how they changed along environmental gradients of the reef. For the purposes of the study, two gradients were identified — a complex depth gradient and a wave exposure gradient.

The Gilbert Islands are a part of the- Gilbert and Ellice Islands Crown Colony of Great Britain, They lie in the Pacific Ocean directly southeast of the Marshall Islands and straddle the equator from 3 degrees North Latitude to 3 degrees South Latitude. All are low islands and most are atolls. They are densely inhabited by Micronesian people who are greatly dependent on the sea for food.