Sampling methods, a comparison between benthos sampling programs at Balgzand

Auteurs: Jaap van der Meer

Jaar: 2015

Taal: Engels

Omschrijving: Two different annual sampling programs of the marine intertidal macrozoobenthos of the Balgzand area in the western Dutch Wadden Sea are compared for the years 2008-2012 in terms of estimates of mean numerical and biomass density of eight abundant species. The SIBES program that uses a regular grid reveals lower SE/mean ratios than the BD program that uses a transect approach, despite a lower sampling effort in terms of total surface area sampled. Yet, particularly biomass density estimates are much lower in the SIBES program, which only partly can explained by inadequate sampling depth. It is recommended that the strenght of each program, efficiency in one and accuracy in the other, are combined in the future.