Laboratory studies on core sampling with application to subtidal meiobenthos collection

Abstract

Three aspects of subtidal meiobenthic sampling were examined through laboratory simulation experiments with Sephadex gel beads as an epibenthic meiofaunal mimic. Results indicate that corer diameter (i.d. from 2.6 to 10.5 cm) does not affect sampling efficiency if slow corer penetration takes place. Disturbance in cores mimicking conditions during retrieval by a diver resulted in a bias when these cores were subsampled after collection. Such effects may also be present in larger (e.g. box) corers when a distinct flocculent layer is present. A dramatic effect on vertical profile was found when cores were preserved by fast‐freezing. Cores should be of a size that can be analyzed in their entirety, subsampled as a homogenate, or subsampled with a device in place as the corer enters the sediment.