The effect of percentage live coral cover on the number of fish species and individuals was determined by censusing fish from a series of reefs of comparable structural complexity, but with different proportions of live coral, in the lagoon of Mataiva Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago. Regression analysis showed that there was a highly significant (p < 0.001) positive relationship between live coral cover and total number of species, number of species 250 m-2, and number of individuals 250 m-2.
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Bell et al. (1984) studied this question.
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