ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN

NO. 572

FLORA OF RONGELAP AND AILINGINAE ATOLLS, REPUBLIC OF THE

MARSHALL ISLANDS

BY

JODI STEVENS RELEFORD, JONATHAN STEVENS, K.W. BRIDGES, AND

WILL C. MCCLATCHEY

ISSUED BY

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.

JULY 2009

Republic of the
Marshall Islands

o Taongi

Enewetak

Ujelang

Ailinginae^Rongelap T ^ ka
Wotho « Likiep ° Wotje

• y *\ *j?

KwajaleirT 0 Erikub ^ Maloelap

- ^ ^

Namu t

<^7 Majuro

Ailinglaplap ^^Arno

Mili

Namorik 6 Jaluit

o

Ebon

Figure 1 . Map of the Republic of the Marshall Islands including the study sites of Rongelap and Ailinginae
atolls.

FLORA OF RONGELAP AND AILINGINAE ATOLLS, REPUBLIC OF THE

MARSHALL ISLANDS

BY

JODI STEVENS RELEFORD, 1 * JONATHAN STEVENS, 2 K.W. BRIDGES, AND

WILL C. MCCLATCHEY 1

ABSTRACT

Rongelap and Ailinginae atolls are best known as the home of Rongelap islanders
who were displaced following exposure to nuclear radiation in 1954. As a result, the
atolls have experienced various levels of habitation in the last fifty years. Consequently, a
thorough survey of the flora of the atolls has not been undertaken since William Randolph
Taylor visited the area in 1946 prior to the nuclear tests in the area. Our chief research
objectives were to document the terrestrial vascular plant species richness of both
Rongelap and Ailinginae atolls and to provide baseline data on distribution between islets
within the atolls. The flora of the atolls was investigated using transect methodologies
and plant checklist surveys. Sixty-three vascular plant species were found on Rongelap
atoll and 29 species were identified on Ailinginae atoll. The repatriation of the Rongelap
community provides a wonderful opportunity for future research examining changes in
species diversity and abundance throughout and following construction within the atoll.
Taylor’s work provided a snapshot of the flora of Rongelap prior to the changes invoked
by nuclear testing and the evacuation of the community. This work provides a baseline of
data (prior to the construction of most of the community) that we hope others will build
upon by examining both terrestrial and marine species.

INTRODUCTION

Atoll environments are extreme and support very few terrestrial plant species.
Atoll species face several challenges to survival such as high salinity levels, drought,
disturbance, and poor soils (Manner et al., 1999). There are few species that can survive
in these conditions therefore, most atoll species are indigenous and common, very few
are endemic (Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg, 1998). Species diversity on atolls is largely
determined by rainfall levels. For example, Canton Island in the Phoenix group receives
500 mm of rainfall a year and is inhabited by only 14 vascular plant species while Arno
Atoll in the Marshall Islands supports nearly ten times as many species with 4,000 mm of
rainfall (Wiens, 1962; Hatheway, 1955).

’Botany Department, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822

2 Brigham Young University Hawaii, Laie, Hawaii, 96762
* Corresponding author; e-mail: jstevens@hawaii.edu

Manuscript received 14 February 2009; revised 28 May 2009.

2

Unfortunately, we have no record of the original vegetation of the Marshall
Islands (Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg, 1998), but it is thought to have been composed
of a small number of species common throughout the Pacific (Muller and Vander Velde,
1999). Indigenous species diversity in the Marshall Island archipelago (Fig. 1) is a
continuum with 9 indigenous species found on Taongi (Pokak) in the north (Mueller-
Dombois and Fosberg, 1998) at one end of the continuum and 44 and 56 indigenous
species on Arno and Majuro atolls (Hatheway, 1953; Vander Velde, 2003) at the other
end. Within the Marshall Islands, the indigenous vegetation is relatively similar from
atoll to atoll, but with recent introductions of ornamental, weedy, and food species from
all over the world, Vander Velde (2003) recorded 563 species on Majuro Atoll, home to
the capitol of the Marshall Islands.

Because of the poor species richness of the vegetation, the first inhabitants of
the Archipelago had to depend on the few indigenous species available and a few they
brought with them. As a result, they found numerous uses for the species they had
available and manipulated the environment to suit their needs (Muller and Vander Velde,
1999). This manipulation was so pervasive that in speaking of a survey performed on
Bikini Atoll (a neighbor of Rongelap Atoll) Fosberg (1985) asserted that he was unable to
find any unaltered natural vegetation. Thaman (2006) further suggests that the terrestrial
ecosystems of the Marshall Islands are poor, degraded, disturbed, and highly modified.
This is due to several factors including, limited land area, rapid urbanization and damage
during World War II, plant introductions, and low native habitat diversity.

Study Sites

Rongelap Atoll lies at the drier northern end of the Ralik chain in the Marshall
Island archipelago. The atoll consists of 61 islets with a combined area of 3.07 square
miles while the lagoon has an area of 387.77 square miles. The vegetation is simple
and typical of the floras of other atolls in the Northern Marshall Islands (Taylor, 1950;
Thomas et al., 1989).

In 1946 William Randolph Taylor visited Rongelap Atoll as part of an effort by
the United States government to document the plant and animal life of the area. The
data gathered was to provide a baseline for future comparison of Bikini and the nearby
atolls prior to and following nuclear testing. During his visit to the atoll, Taylor (1950)
collected 38 vascular plant species and hinted at relative abundance for a few species.
Taylor’s collection provided a starting point for this research on Rongelap as well as an
opportunity to make comparisons of the flora before and after atomic tests took place.

As a result of exposure to nuclear fallout indigenous Rongelap Islanders have
a complex evacuation history and have not inhabited the atoll since 1985 (Greenpeace,
2005) when they evacuated because of health and safety concerns. They are still dealing
with health concerns and living in exile but hope to return to live permanently on
Rongelap again soon.

The uninhabited atoll of Ailinginae is made up of 25 islets ranging from one
to three meters in elevation. The atoll is located approximately 13 km west-southwest
of Rongelap Atoll. Traditionally, Ailinginae was occupied for brief periods by

3

Rongelap Islanders gathering resources such as crabs, fish, and turtle eggs. While the
vegetation is predominately indigenous, there are aboriginal ( Morinda citrifolia and
Tacca leontapetaloides) and colonial ( Cocos nucifera ) introductions present. Since
the Rongelap Islanders evacuated Rongelap Atoll, Ailinginae has not been utilized as
a resource. In fact, few if any visitors have been there in the last 50 years as the U.S
military actively restricted access to the area (Matayoshi, 2001).

Objectives

Our chief research objectives were to document the terrestrial vascular plant
species richness of both Rongelap and Ailinginae atolls and to provide baseline data on
distribution between islets within the atolls. We expected to find the same plant species
collected by Taylor (1950) on Rongelap. We further predicted that plant species would
be distributed within the atolls based on theories of island biogeography (Niering, 1963;
MacArthur and Wilson, 1967). That the number of species would increase with increase
in islet area. Or in other words, that the larger islets would support more species than the
smaller islets within the atolls.

Figure 2. Map of Rongelap Atoll, with surveyed islets labeled.

4

METHODS

Rongelap Atoll

The current availability and distribution of vascular plant species on Rongelap
Atoll were investigated using a combination of belt transects (Hill et af, 2005) and a
checklist inventory (McClatchey and Bridges, 2007). Transect courses were chosen by
dividing each surveyed islet into sections and completing three random (determined using
a random number table) parallel transects two meters wide and 25 meters apart within
each section (Fig. 2). Each transect was run perpendicular to the island from the edge
of the lagoon through the vegetation to the ocean side beach using GPS. In determining
which sections of the islets would be included, an attempt was made to survey all
resource areas including the ocean side beach, strandwall, rubble land complex, broad-
leaf scrub and coastal forest, breadfruit and coconut agroforestry, taro patches, habitation
zones, and the lagoon beach (Merlin et al., 1994; Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg, 1998).

A checklist inventory (Bridges and McClatchey 2005) was kept throughout the
vegetation survey in order to record data regarding species not encountered within the
transects. The checklist included all species encountered throughout all environments
visited within the atoll. All plant species encountered were photographed, collected
(Alexiades, 1996), and documented through herbarium vouchers (Merill, 1981) that were
collected with the permission of the Rongelap government and indigenous landowners
and deposited in the herbaria of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (HAW).

Figure 3. Map of Ailinginae Atoll, with surveyed islets labeled. (After Bridges and McClatchey 2005)

Ailinginae Atoll

The flora of Ailinginae was investigated using two methods, a quantitative plant
survey using transects and a general plant checklist survey. A detailed description
of these methodologies is given by Bridges and McClatchey (2005). The survey of
Ailinginae resulted in 22 transects with an average length of 234 m. The total length of
all transects was 5,047 m covering 2.4% of the total area of the surveyed islets (Fig. 3).

5

RESULTS

Rongelap Atoll

Nine islets including, Arbar, Bokanrokut, Bokjelto, Enealo, Eneaetok, Looj,
Lukotoke, Rongelap, and Tufa were surveyed in Rongelap Atoll. A total of 60 individual
transects were completed on the surveyed islets. Elalf of the transects were conducted on
Rongelap, the largest islet within the atoll. Transect length varied with the longest at 740
m and the shortest at 32 m depending on the size of the islet being surveyed. Average
transect length was 206 m, while the total length of all transects was 12,354 m. Sixty-
three vascular plant species were found throughout the atoll. Table 1 summarizes the
species currently found on Rongelap and Ailinginae atolls and compares these to the
collections of Taylor (1950).

Table 1. Vascular Plant species currently found on Rongelap and Ailinginae atolls.
Species collected by Taylor (1950) are included for comparison. The status or origin of
each species and local names are included when known. I = Indigenous, A = Aboriginal
introduction, and R = Recent introduction.

a _

d cu

SJ o

w

a

Latin Binomial

Rongelan Name

Status

= £

A

u &

« &D

$ d

S o

Ph 02

§

vi d

o as

U

Ph <

Acanthaceae

P sender anthemum reticulatum (Hort)
Kanehira

R

X

P sender anthemum atropurpureum
(Bulliard) L.H. Bailey

Amaryliidaceae

R

X

X

Crinum asiaticum L.

Kiop

R

X

X

Apocynaceae

Plumeria rubra L.

Meria

R

X

Ochrosia parviflora (G.Forst.) Hensl.

Kdjbar

I

X

X

X

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don

Arecaeae

R

X

Cocos nucifera L.

Asteraceae

Ni

I/A

X

X

X

Mel anther a biflora (L.) Wild

Kibwebwe

I

X

X

X

Heliotropium curassavicum L.

R

X

Tridax procumbens L.

Bignoniaceae

R

X

Tecoma stans (L.) Kunth

Boraginaceae

R

X

Cordia subcordata Lam.

Kono

I

X

X

X

Heliotropium foertherianum Diane & Hilger

Kiden

I

X

X

X

6

Table 1 (Con’td)

Latin Binomial

Rongelan Name

Status

Collected

by Taylor

Present on

Rongelap

Present on

Ailinginae

Caricaceae

Carica papaya L.

Keinabbu

R

X

X

Casuarinaceae

Casuarina equisetifolia L.

R

X

Clusiaceae

Calophyllum iphyllum L.

Lukwej

A

X

X

X

Combretaceae

Terminalia samoensis Rechinger

Ekkon

I

X

X

X

Convolvulaceae

Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br.

Topo

A

X

Ipomoea alba L.

Marped’e

I

X

X

X

Cyperaceae

Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br.

Beredijiman

I

X

X

X

Cyperus ferax Rich.

Bukor

R

X

Dioscoreaceae

Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Merr.

Makmok

A

X

X

X

Euphorbiaceae

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonning

Jiljino-awa

R

X

Euphorbia hirta L.

R

X

Euphorbia atoto G. Forst.

Pedol

I

X

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) Blume

R

X

Fabaceae

Canavalia microcarpa (DC) Piper

Marlap

I

X

X

Caesalpinia sp.

R

X

Goodeniaceae

Scaevola taccada (Gaertner) Roxb.

Konnat

I

X

X

X

Lauraceae

Cassytha filiformis L.

Kaonon

I

X

X

X

Lythraceae

Pemphis acidula Forster

Kone

I

X

X

X

Malvaceae

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.

Lo-buroro

R

X

Sida fallax Walpers

Writ kio

I

X

X

Moraceae

Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fosberg

Ma

A

X

X

7

Table 1 (Con’td)

Latin Binomial

Rongelan Name

Status

Collected

by Taylor

Present on

Rongelap

Present on

Ailinginae

Musaceae

Musa acuminate X balbisiana Colla

Keebran

A

X

Nyctaginaceae

Bougainvilla glabra Choisy

R

X

Pi sonia grandis R.Br.

Kanal

I

X

X

X

Boerhavia tetrandra G. Forst.

Bwilbwil kaj

I

X

X

X

Boerhavia diffusa L.

Bwilbwil kaj

I

X

X

Pandanaceae

Pandanus tectorius Sol. ex Park.

Bob

I/A

X

X

X

Poaceae

Digitaria pruriens (Trinius) Buese

R

X

X

X

Eragrostis amabilis (L.) Wight & Am.

R

X

X

Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner

Katejukjuk

R

X

X

Paspalum setaceum Michx.

Wujooj Kateju##

R

X

Cenchrus echinatus L.

Karmwijmwij

R

X

X

Eustachys petraea (Sw.) Desv.

R

X

Stetaphrum micranthum (Desv.) C.E.

R

X

Thuarea involuta (Forster f.) R. Br.

Wujooj Kukon##

R

X

X

X

Lepturus repens (Forster f.) R. Br.

Wujooj

I

X

X

X

Polypodiaceae

Micro sorum scolopendria (Burm. f.) Copel.

Kino

I

X

X

Portulacaceae

Portulaca oleracea L.

R

X

Portulaca quadrifida L.

R

X

Portulaca lute a Sol.

R

X

X

X

Rhizophoraceae

Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Savigny

Jon

I

X

X

Rubiaceae

Guettardia speciosa L.

Wutilomar

I

X

X

X

Morinda citrifolia L.

Nen

A

X

X

X

Sapindaceae

Allophylus timorensis (DC) Bl.

Ktitaak

I

X

X

Simaroubaceae

Soulamea amara Lam.

Keinwa

I

X

X

Solanaceae

Phy salis angulata L.

Kaoror

R

X

8

Table 1 (CoiTtd)

Latin Binomial

Ronselan Name

Status

Collected

by Taylor

Present on

Rongelap

Present on

Ailinginae

Surianaceae

Suriana maritima L.

Kalane

I

X

X

X

Tiiliaceae

Triumfetta procumbens G. Forst.

Atat

I

X

X

X

Urticaceae

Laportea ruderalis (G. Forst.) Chew

I

X

X

Verbenaceae

Clerodendron inerme (L.) Gaertner

Wulej

I

X

X

X

Premna serratifolia L.

Kaar

I

X

Species were not uniformly distributed throughout the atoll (Table 2). The largest
islet of Rongelap was home to all but two species (Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Savigny
and Pemphis acidula Forster) while Bokanrokut, the smallest of the surveyed islets,
supports only three. Guettardia speciosa , Scaevola taccada , and Terminalia samoensis
were found on all nine islets surveyed while Cassytha filiformis and Heliotropium
foertherianum were found on all but one islet. Twenty-seven species, most of which are
ornamental, food, and weedy species are found only on Rongelap islet.

Ailinginae Atoll

Eight of the largest islets in the atoll including Sifo, Mogiri, Enibuk, Eniuetakku,
Ribinouri, Kuobuen and Knox were surveyed. A total of 29 species were identified
throughout Ailinginae Atoll (Table 1). Eleven of these species were found on each
of the surveyed islets including: Boerhaavia tetandra , Cordia subcordata , Fleurya
rude rails, Guettardia speciosa, Lepturus repens, Microsorium scolopendria, Pemphis
acidula, Pisonia grandis, Scaevola frutescens, Suriana maritima, and Heliotropium
foertherianum. Three species, Cassytha filiformis, Ipomoea alba, and Morinda citrifolia
were each only lacking from one islet (Bridges and McClatchey, 2005).

9

Table 2. Distribution of terrestrial vascular plant species within Rongelap Atoll by islet.
While running transects, grass and sedge species were lumped together because of
difficulty and time needed for identification of these species therefore specific distribution
data for these species is not available.

-

+■>

s

o

u

S3

a

73

o

o

QJ

-z

o

O

sc

sc

sc
a i

’o 5

6JD

S3

a

sc

tj

o

—

'2

Taxa

<

W

CO

-

W

QC

e3

-

h-1

w

CO

Allophylus timorensis (DC) Bl.

X

Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fosberg

X

Boerhavia diffusa L.

X

X

Boerhavia tetrandra G. Forst.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bougainvilla glabra Choisy

X

Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Savigny

X

Calophyllum inophyllum L.

X

Canavalia microcarpa (DC) Piper

X

X

Carica papaya L.

X

Cassytha filiformis L.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Casuarina equisetifolia L.

X

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.D011

X

Cenchrus echinatus L.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Clerodendron inerme (L.) Gaertner

X

X

Cocos nucifera L.

X

X

X

X

X

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) Blume

X

Cordia subcordata Lam.

X

X

Crinum asiaticum L.

X

Cyperus ferax Rich.

X

Digitaria pruriens (Trinius) Buese

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Eragrostis amabilis (L.) Wight & Am.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Euphorbia atoto G. Forst.

X

Euphorbia hirta L.

X

Eustachys petraea (Sw.) Desv.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br.

X

Guettardia speciosa L.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Heliotropium curassavicum L.

X

Heliotropium foertherianum Diane & Hilger

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.

X

Ipomoea alba L.

X

X

X

X

X

Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R.Br.

X

Laportea ruder alis (G. Forst.) Chew

X

Lepturus repens (Forster f.) R. Br.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Microsorum scolopendria (Burm. f.) Copel.

X

X

X

Morinda citrifolia L.

X

X

X

X

Musa acuminate X balbisiana Colla

X

10

Table 2 (Con’td)

5

Taxa

Arbar

o

u

S3

cs

-a

o

Cfl

Enealo

Looj

Rongelap

Tufa

Eneaetok

Lukotoke

Bokjelto

Ochrosia parviflora ( G.Forst. ) Hensl.

X

Pandanus tectorius Sol. ex Park.

X

X

X

X

X

Paspalum setaceum Michx.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Pemphis acidnla Forster

X

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonning

X

Phy salis angulata L.

X

Pi sonia grandis R.Br.

X

X

X

X

X

X

Plumeria rubra L.

X

Portulaca lute a Sol.

X

Portulaca oleracea L.

X

X

X

Portidaca quadrifida L.

X

X

Premna serratifolia L.

X

Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum

(Bulliard) L.H. Bailey

X

Scaevola taccada (Gaertner) Roxb.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Sida fallax Walpers

X

X

Soulamea amara Lam.

X

Stenotaphrum micranthum (Desv.) C.E.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Suriana maritima L.

X

X

X

Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Merr.

X

Tecoma stans ( L. ) Kunth

X

Terminalia samoensis Rechinger

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Thuarea involuta (Forster f.) R. Br.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Tridax procumbens L.

X

Triumfetta procumbens G. Forst.

X

X

X

X

X

Mel anther a biflora (L.) Wild

X

DISCUSSION

Within Rongelap atoll, we were able to locate all but two of the species
( Pseuderanthemum reticulatum (Hort) Kanehira and Caesalpinia sp.) collected by Taylor.
Both of these are recently introduced ornamental species and likely did not survive
without human maintenance. Clearly several species have been introduced to Rongelap
Atoll since Taylor’s survey in 1950. We collected 24 more species than Taylor found in
1946. With the exception of the five indigenous species ( Boerhavia diffusa T., Laportea
ruder alis (G. Forst.) Chew, Micros or urn scolopendria (Burm. F.) Copeland, Premna
serratifolia T., and Soulamea amara Tam.) Taylor did not encounter, the additional
species are ornamental, weedy, or fruit species. Unfortunately we can only compare the
species present in 1946 and 2002 since Taylor did not record abundance and distribution
data with the exception of a few general observations.

11

Species diversity varied considerably within the atolls between the large and small
islets. In fact, one transect through the widest part of Rongelap islet (724 m.) contained
20 species while a transect across the tiny islet of Roggutsu (48m.) contained only two.
These transects were the extremes and the remaining transects fell within a continuum
between the two. As a general rule, the longer the transect, the more species diversity
was found. With that being said, there were islets within each of the atolls that did not fit
the predicted pattern of increased species numbers with increasing area. Reasons for this
could be that we may not have encountered all species within all islets, or it may be that
within a small island ecosystem such as an atoll, the benefits of increased area are less
important than other stochastic factors such as rainfall, habitat, storms, and a freshwater
lens (Wester et al., 1992, Lomolino, 2000). McClatchey and Bridges (2007) further
suggest that within an atoll, the shape of islets may also be a factor that affects species
richness with vegetation of round islets being more diverse than more narrow islets. Our
data certainly seems to support this hypothesis since the longer transects ran through the
widest or most round sections of the islets although more analysis will have to be done
before drawing any further conclusions.

CONCLUSIONS

The species diversity of Rongelap will change as it is once again manipulated
by Rongelap Islanders. As the Rongelap community prepares to inhabit the atoll on a
permanent basis, they will likely be introducing new species from Majuro and Kwajalein
atolls where they are living now. Both atolls have large populations and are major
thoroughfares for the country. Residents of Majuro in particular enjoy receiving and
sharing new species (Vander Velde, 2003). In fact, Rongelap Islanders have already
begun trading cuttings of Sida fallax Walps., which is found naturally on Rongelap, but
not on Majuro. Also, as members of the Rongelap community return they will bring with
them ornamentals and food species for their gardens and will inadvertently introduce new
weed species in the process. These introduced species will likely spread from Rongelap
islet to other islets in the atoll. It is then feasible that those species could be introduced
to Ailinginae either through planned or accidental introductions.

Ailinginae is currently being considered for World Heritage Site status, which
would certainly stem the tide of plant introductions by limiting visitors and activities
within the atoll. Distance from Rongelap and the difficulty of the journey will likely
further deter visitors. While the resources on Ailinginae are similar to those on Rongelap
there are many more Coconut Crabs ( Birgus latro) on Ailinginae that may be affected
by the repatriation of the Rongelap Community. Coconut crab is a culturally important
species that the community has not had access to since their evacuation. As a result, it is
a prized delicacy that may entice community members to visit the atoll and harvest other
resources as well as crabs.

The repatriation of the Rongelap community provides a wonderful opportunity
for future research examining changes in species diversity and abundance throughout
and following construction within the atoll. Which species will be introduced? How will

12

human maintenance and manipulation change the landscape? Taylor’s work provided a
snapshot of the flora of Rongelap prior to the changes invoked by nuclear testing and the
evacuation of the community. This work provides a baseline of data prior to construction
of most of the community that we hope others will build upon by examining both
terrestrial and marine species.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the Rongelap Atoll Local Government for initiating
and supporting this research. Specifically Mayor James Matayoshi, Abacca Anjain-
Maddison, and John Fysh. Members of the Rongelap community both on Rongelap
and Majuro made this work possible through their generosity of time and knowledge.
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. National Institutes of Health provided
further funding of this work.

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