atti tell ete ee Pe ode Introduction frequent visitors to the laboratory, and they have done a Ernst S. Reese splendid job of reviewing thé research carried out in their area of interest. In Chapter 7, Patrick L. Colin describes - +. +? Hawaii-at Marioa ee Oi 96822 the subtidal environments of Enewetak and reports on the research done on the subtidal biota. This is followed in Chapter 8 by Alan J. Kohn's masterful summary of research in the intertidal environment. Kohn has been a student of tropical intertidal ecology for 30 years. He tackled a particularly difficult task because of the extensive study of the intertidal environment and its biota by many scientists over the years. Chapters 9 and 10 deal with processes and relation: ships in the marine environment. In Chapter 9, dames A. Marsh, another frequent visitor to the laboratory and a recognized authority on coral reef processes, reviews the extensive work which was carried out at Enewetak on the community metabolism of coral reefs and related topics such as calcification processes, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and the role of detritus in the ecosystem. Nelson trst volume of The Natural History of Enewetak 4:. provides a summary of the research carried out over the 30-year period from 1954 to 1984. The frontispiece iHustrates the dramatic contrasts between the immensity of the lagoon and the seemingly fragile necklace of small lands which surrounds it, and also between the sea conditan on the windward, seaward side of the reef and the atively sheltered waters of the lagoon. Me eee peere Ton aRNTnee The first chapter discusses the history of research at ....isk Atoll. The reasons behind the establishment of “1wwetak Marine Biological Laboratory are described. ‘ne authors, Philip Helfrich and Roger Ray, have been associated with activities at Enewetak from the very early days. They conferred with Robert W. Hiatt, the first director of the laboratory. In Chapter 2, Robert C. Kiste, a Marshall and Ray P. foremost authority on the people of Micronesia, provides a history of the Enewetak people to whom these volumes ste dedicated. co The next four chapters deal with the physical environ: ‘:s of Enewetak Atoll. In Chapter 3, Patrick L. Colin ..-cribes the physiography of Enewetak. Colin served as resident scientist in-charge of the laboratory from 1979 to extend the ecosystem research at Enewetak. The final three chapters are devoted to the terrestrial environment. Because fewer scientists applied to conduct research in the terrestrial environment,less work wasa mes the end of 1983 when all resident scientific staff left the accomplished, andan integrated overview is not possible. atoll. Foliowing the description of the atoll, Byron L. Rist- In Chapter 11, | report on the life history, behavior, and ecology of land crabs, review what is known about atoll soils, and conjecture on the carrying capacity of an atoll such as Enewetak. For a description of the vegetation, the reader is referred to Chapter 3 in Volume‘ Il by Janet O. Lamberson. William B. Jackson, a frequent visitor to Enewetak over the years, and his co-workers Stephen H. Vessey and Robert K.. Bastian report on their long-term vet, a frequent scientific visitor to Enewetak, provides a summary of the geology and geohydrology in Chapter 4. Next, in Chapter 5, Marlin J. Atkinson describes the >ceanography. Under the direction of Stephen V Smith, -"kinson participated in an important study of the lagoon culation. Chapter 6 on the meteorology and atmos. ceric chemistry is the fina! chapter in the group of chapters dealing with the physical environment of Enewetak Atoll. Written by John T. Merrill and Robert A. Duce. the chapter is based on the results of the SEAREX Project. Duce served as the director and principa! investi: gator of the project. The next four chapters are devoted to the marine study of the rodents in Chapter 12, and Andrew J. Berger summarizes our knowledge of the bird’life of the atoll. in Chapter 13. Berger,’ a noted omithologist and the foremost authority on Hawaiian birds, made a number of ‘trips to Enewetak. | suspect that few readers will read this volume from cover to cover, but those whe do will gain an appreciation for the complexity of the atoll ecosystem and a better -cosystem and its biota. They summarize the large amount 4! research carried out at the Mid-Pacific Research Labora: ‘ory in the marine environment. All of the authors were 5002413 Gerber approach in Chapter 10 to include the entire atoll. They discuss the trophic relationship between the shallow reefs and the lagoon. Both Gerber and Marshall conducted xVH