Indicated are: the region of origin (GB: Galicia Bank region, A: Algerian basin, AP: Algero-Provençal basin, I: Ionian basin, L: Levantine basin), the period samples were collected in (month/year), station code (indicating basin and approximate water depth), the number of replicate samples for nematode community analysis (N; the total area of sediment sampled is shown in parentheses), granulometry and organics (OG) and pigment analysis (P) whereby samples taken from the same deployment (i.e. pseudoreplicates) are indicated in parentheses, water depth range, average geographical position (latitude and longitude expressed in decimal degrees; where the coordinates of replicates differed more than 1°, a range is given), sampling gear (BC: box corer; MC: multicorer), research vessel (RV; SDG: Sarmiento De Gamboa).