MATERIAL AND METHODS
We evaluated the ability of DNA metabarcoding to detect marine macrobenthos species from the Belgian part of the North sea, a relatively small area (ca 3600 km2) subjected to many human activities (Douvere, Maes, Vanhulle, & Schrijvers, 2007). The area has been extensively monitored for almost 20 years, resulting in well described macrobenthos communities (Breine et al., 2018; Degraer et al., 2008; Van Hoey, Degraer, & Vincx, 2004).