Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities within sinking particles from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site

Sinking particles are responsible for the vertical transport of carbon and nutrients from the surface mixed layer to the deep ocean. While the flux of particulate organic matter and associated elements has been studied at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study station (BATS) for several decades, we lack knowledge on the relative contribution of different particle types to flux, as well as the contribution of plankton taxa to these particles categories, leaving a gap on their origin and mechanisms of transport with depth. In this study, we combined microscopy-based image analyses and DNA amplicon sequencing analyses to determine the composition of the particle flux as a basis for understanding potential particle sources and mechanisms of transport, as well as their fate to depth in the water column.