Table 8. Estimation of time and diving effort needed for data acquisition within each box used in the EBQI.

Box	Proxy	Time	Dive organization
1 – P. oceanica roots and rhizomes	30 random in situ measures (growth of the rhizome corresponding to the last 8 leaf bases)	30 min	1 dive for 2 scientific divers
2 - P. oceanica leaves	20 random measures of shoot density in a square frame (0.16 m2)	60 min
	30 random measures of cover	10 min
3 - MPO leaf epibiota	Sampling of the two oldest external leaves on 30 shoot randomly localized to estimate the epibiota biomass	10 min
4 - Filter- and suspension-feeder leaf epibiota	Sampling of the two oldest external leaves on 30 shoot randomly localized to estimate the epibiota biomass	Same as box 3
5 – Filter feeder benthic epibiota	Density of Pinna nobilis along 20 transects 10-m long and 1-m wide	120 min	1 dive for 2 scientists divers
7 - Litter detritus	Litter detritus mass collected in July, within 5 randomly localized 0.1-m2 quadrats	90 min	1 dive for 2 scientist divers
6 – Other filter- and suspension-feeder benthic epibiota	Abundance of filter- and suspension-feeder benthic epibiota other than Pinna nobilis within 1-m2 quadrats, with 30 replicates randomly localized	120 min	1 dive for 2 scientist divers
8 - Detritus feeders	Abundance of Holothuria spp. within 1-m2 quadrats, with 30 replicates randomly localized	Same as box 6
9 - Herbivores 1	Abundance of Paracentrotus lividus within 1-m2 quadrats, with 30 replicates randomly localized at 5 m depth	60 min	1 dive for 2 scientist divers
	Percentage of intermediate and adult leaves exhibiting bite scars due to S. salpa (all the intermediate and adult leaves of 30 shoots randomly localized) at 5 m depth	30 min
10 - Predatory teleosts	All teleosts counted within ten linear 50-m long and 5-m wide transects, each census lasting 5 minutes.	60 min	1 dive for 2 scientist divers
11 - Piscivorous teleosts	All teleosts counted within ten linear 50-m long and 5-m wide transects, each census lasting 5 minutes	Same as boxes 10 and 12
12 - Planktivorous teleosts of the water column	All teleosts counted within ten linear 50-m long and 5-m wide transects, each census lasting 5 minutes	Same as boxes 10 and 11
9–12 - SRDI	All teleosts counted within ten linear 50-m long and 5-m wide transects, each census lasting 5 minutes	Same as boxes 10, 11 and 12