Macrofauna in Mediterranean and Black Sea transitional aquatic ecosystems: A comparative study of the benthic populations sampled by box corer and leaf bags.

Highlights: [•] We propose a comparative study on the benthic macrofauna sampling. [•] The work was carried out in ten transitional aquatic ecosystems covering a wide salinity range. [•] We describe benthic assemblages sampled by box corer and leaf bags. [•] We use PERMANOVA to analyze communities’ structural characteristics and biotic indices. [•] Results highlight the need to standardize sampling methodologies for benthic macrofauna in these ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]