Editing Kingman Reef (section)

==Ecology==
[[File:Kingman Reef Oct 2003.jpg|thumb|left|Dry strip of land on Kingman Reef with a [[coconut]] [[Arecaceae|palm]] seedling; October 2003]]
Kingman Reef supports a vast variety of [[marine life]]. [[Giant clam]]s are abundant in the shallows, and there are approximately 38 genera and 130 species of stony corals on the reef. This is more than three times the species diversity of corals in the main Hawaiian Islands. The ecosystem of the reef and its subsequent food chain is known for the distinct quality of being primarily [[predator]]-based. Sharks comprised 74% of the top predator biomass (329 g·m{{sup|−2}}) at Kingman Reef and 57% at [[Palmyra Atoll]] (97 g·m{{sup|−2}}). Low shark numbers have been observed at [[Tabuaeran]] and [[Kiritimati]].<ref name="SAS">{{cite journal|last= Stuart A. Sandin |display-authors=etal |title = Baselines and Degradation of Coral Reefs in the Northern Line Islands |journal=PLOS ONE |date=February 27, 2008 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=e1548 |publisher= 3 (2) PLoS ONE |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0001548 |pmid=18301734 |pmc=2244711 |bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.1548S |s2cid=12343048 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The percentage of the total fish biomass on the reef is made up of 85% [[apex predator]]s, creating a high level of competition for food and nutrients among local organisms – particularly sharks, jacks, and other carnivores.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=DeMartini |first1=Edward E. |last2=Friedlander |first2=Alan M. |last3=Sandin |first3=Stuart A. |last4=Sala |first4=Enric |date=2008-08-18 |title=Differences in fish-assemblage structure between fished and unfished atolls in the northern Line Islands, central Pacific |url=https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v365/p199-215/ |journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series |language=en |volume=365 |pages=199–215 |doi=10.3354/meps07501 |bibcode=2008MEPS..365..199D |issn=0171-8630|hdl=10261/58525 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The threatened green sea turtles that frequent nearby Palmyra Atoll travel to Kingman Reef to forage and bask on the coral rubble spits at low tide.

However, above sea level, the reef is usually barren of macroorganisms. Mainly constructed of dead and dried coral skeletons, providing only [[calcite]] as a source of nutrients, the small and narrow strips of dry land are only habitable by a handful of species for short periods. Most flora that begin to grow above water—primarily [[coconut palm]]s—die out quickly due to the fierce tides and lack of resources necessary to sustain plant life.