Figure 1. Sampling strategy in the field.

40 sediment cores were sampled at two stations (20 cores each) located on different sandbars of the intertidal, and hosting communities of high or low diversities respectively. A: Samples were taken with a metal cylinder to 10 cm depth. B: Entire sediment cores were placed into containers. C: The sampling corer fitted exactly in the container so that the internal structure of the sediment core remained as intact as possible. D: The metal corer was carefully removed.