A meso-scale pilot plant was set up to test the efficiency of a bioremediation scheme applied to marine sediments contaminated by heavy metals and hydrocarbons. The experiment was implemented for three years in two stages using two remediation agents: plants (Paspalum vaginatum and Tamarix gallica) and earthworms (Eisenia fetida). DNA and RNA-based methodologies were applied to elucidate the dynamics of the bacterial population and were related to improving biological and chemical conditions of the sediments. Bioremediation strategies were successful in removing pollutants from the contaminated sediments and specialization within the bacterial community related to the type of contamination present was detected in the different stages of the process. The highest response of Gram-positive PAH-degraders to the contamination was detected at the beginning and after the first stage of the experiment, corresponding to the uppermost values of degradation. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.