Macrofauna abundance and biomass at the LTER observatory HAUSGARTEN in 2016

Macrofauna data was collected using a box corer (0.25m² sampling area). The sampled sediment from each box corer was divided into eight subsamples (pseudoreplicates). The uppermost 12 cm of these subsamples were analyzed. Each subsample was processed through a 500-µm mesh size sieve. After sieving, residuals were fixed with 100% ethanol and stored at room temperature. Macrofaunal organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxonomical level. Whenever identification to species level was not possible, the sample was identified to the next identifiable taxonomical category and assigned a putative species name (e.g., 'Hesionidae genus sp. 1', 'Hesionidae genus sp. 2'). Posterior fragments, exuviae, xenobionts, meiofauna taxa (Nematoda, Ostracoda, Harpacticoida) and empty tubes were excluded from the analysis. Biomass (blotted wet weight, ww) was determined by weighing each specimen. Shelled organisms, such as mollusks, were weight in their shells.