Abstract
Microeukaryotes are critical components of sinking particles contributing to carbon export from the surface to deep oceans. However, the knowledge of the sinking microeukaryotic communities and their dynamics is currently limited. In this study, we applied 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding to investigate the microeukaryotic communities in sinking and suspended particles distinguished by marine snow catchers during spring in the Oyashio region. Sinking particles displayed distinct communities and lower diversity than suspended particles. The community compositions of the sinking particles varied with depth, suggesting that microeukaryotes were selectively disaggregated or decomposed during settling. Prymnesiophyceae and diatoms were effectively removed, as indicated by their decreased abundance in sinking particles at increasing depths. Conversely, Dinophyceae maintained a higher abundance in sinking particles across depths, indicating resistance to disaggregation and decomposition. Spirotrichea and heterotrophic Dinophyceae were enriched in sinking particles, while marine stramenopiles groups were enriched in suspended particles. The heterotrophs in the deeper layers were mainly transported from the surface layers by increasing their relative abundance towards deep layers, indicating that they contributed to the transformation processes of sinking particles. Overall, our results demonstrate the functional differences among microeukaryotes in the biological carbon pump.