This project aims to: Contribute to the characterisation of the diversity, structure and dynamics of the microbentos in intertidal sediments of the Zeeschelde and to identify important biological interactions in the microbial food web. The research will be done in a number of stations along the transect Bath to Gent. The temporal dynamics of the microbentos will be studied in detail in Appels, where within the framework of the OMES-project measurements of other important factors of the ecosystem have been monitored.