The artificial dune resulting from the restoration programme (beach nourishment, geotextile incorporation and foredune reconstruction) is located on Leirosa Beach on Portugal’s Atlantic coast (Fig. 1).
This exposed sandy beach is of the intermediate morphodynamic type, composed of medium-sized sands, and wave height typically reaches a maximum of about 3 m.
For the purpose of this study, the spatial design incorporated contrasts between the beach with the artificial dune and a zone with a natural dune (reference point) with physically similar conditions.
In addition, the control point was 400 m upstream (north) of the artificial area so as to minimise any treatment effects (such us increased sediment input) that might adversely affect the control site (Fig. 1).
Biological samples and environmental data were collected once each season (spring 2010, summer 2010, autumn 2010 and winter 2011).
Sampling was conducted around low tide, and at each site (natural and artificial), biological sampling consisted of triplicate transects arranged at regular intervals (10 levels) between the low-water mark and the foredune.
Benthic macrofauna was sampled by extracting sediment cores (inner diameter 250 mm, 300 mm deep).
We considered ten sampling levels, taking samples at each level, per zone (rehabilitated vs. natural dune areas) and per time (four campaigns), each sample consisting of three random cores of sediment.
Samples were first washed through a 1-mm sieving bag in the field, retaining macrofaunal organisms, which were fixed in 4% formalin and later sorted in the laboratory and preserved in 70% alcohol.
Animals were identified to the lowest possible taxon.