Eddy dipole differentially influences particle‐associated and water column protistan community composition

Abstract

Ocean eddies are mesoscale features that can extend > 100 km and maintain cohesiveness for months, impacting planktonic community structure and water column biogeochemical cycles. Standing stocks of protists in the water column and on sinking particles were investigated using microscopy, in situ imagery, and metabarcoding across an anticyclonic to cyclonic eddy dipole in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre during July 2017. The water column was sampled from the surface to 500 m and particle interceptor traps were deployed at 150 m. Protistan assemblage composition varied substantially between sample type and analytical approach across the eddy dipole. Alveolates represented 63% of sequences from water samples. In contrast to water samples, rhizarian protists represented 79% of trap sequences obtained by metabarcoding of sediment trap material. Microscopy of trap material supported the important contribution of Rhizaria to sinking particles and revealed increased relative abundances of ciliates in the anticyclonic eddy and diatoms in the cyclonic eddy. In situ imagery confirmed the presence of relatively large Rhizaria that were not adequately assessed from water samples but contributed significantly to particle flux. Together, these data demonstrate differing perspectives of planktonic protistan community composition and contributions to sinking particles gained from the application of different sampling and analytic approaches. Our observations and analyses indicate a specific subset of the protistan community contributed disproportionately to organic matter downward export.