Thank you for your positive reply and constructive comments.

As you pointed out, the methodology and quantitative analysis follows the standard statistical methods in foraminiferal research (~300 specimens per sample). The total number of individuals picked and analyzed from each sample even exceeds the standard of 300 specimens (see Table 1 in the manuscript). To further standardize the number of individuals, picking was limited to a weight of 0.05 g of washed and dried sediment. The low amount of sediment picked to obtain more than 300 individuals shows that this mangrove material is particularly rich in benthic foraminifera, and is reflected in the atypical and high diversity assemblages. By providing the standard sample weight in the revised version, we eliminate a potential analytical bias and are grateful for bringing this to our attention. As outlined in the paper, the total number of picked specimens resulted in the highest diversity of benthic foraminifera recorded so far in true mangrove environments.

Please find below, our reply to your comments number 1 and 2:

1. It is not clear whether this ms deals with live or dead forams.

The analysis of the foraminiferal assemblages deals exclusively with thanatocoenosis. Details of the sampling procedure and time of collection are provided in the Material and Methods section.

2. The autors used the small size fraction of 63 micron. The use of this particular fraction migth be the reason for the high diversity. This should be further discussed and compared with previous studies in the area. 

Almost all ecological studies on foraminiferal assemblages are based on the 63 micron sieve size, as recommended in standard textbooks (e.g. Murray, 2006). As clearly stated by Murray (2006): “The number of individuals and species will decrease with increasing sieve size and this may give misleading information…”, especially in terms of studies related to biodiversity and total species richness.