Large Vertical Migrations of Pyrosoma atlanticum Play an Important Role in Active Carbon Transport

Pyrosomes are efficient grazers that can form dense aggregations. Their clearance rates are among the highest of any zooplankton grazer, and they can rapidly repackage what they consume into thousands of fecal pellets per hour. In recent years, pyrosome swarms have been found outside of their natural geographical range; however, environmental drivers that promote these swarms are still unknown. During the austral spring of 2017 a Pyrosoma atlanticum swarm was sampled in the Tasman Sea. Depth-stratified sampling during the day and night was used to examine the spatial and vertical distribution of P. atlanticum across three eddies. Respiration rate experiments were performed onboard to determine minimum feeding requirements for the pyrosome population. P. atlanticum was 2 orders of magnitude more abundant in the cold core eddy (CCE) compared to both warm core eddies, with maximum biomass of 360mg WWm(-3), most likely driven by high chlorophyll a concentrations. P. atlanticum exhibited diel vertical migration and migrated to a maximum depth strata of 800-1,000m. Active carbon transport in the CCE was 4 orders of magnitude higher than the warm core eddies. Fecal pellet production contributed to the majority (91%) of transport, and total downward carbon flux below the mixed layer was estimated at 11mg Cm(-2)d(-1). When abundant, P. atlanticum swarms have the potential to play a major role in active carbon transport, comparable to fluxes for zooplankton and micronekton communities. Plain Language Summary Pyrosomes are a gelatinous zooplankton that can form large swarms. They feed through filtration and are among the most efficient filter feeders of any zooplankton, repackaging what they consume into thousands of fecal pellets per hour. As pyrosomes migrate vertically to 800m daily, they have the potential to transport the carbon they consume at the surface to these depths. In the austral spring of 2017 we sampled a pyrosome swarm in the Tasman Sea. Maximum biomass of pyrosomes was 360mg WWm(-3), and pyrosomes were able to consume the majority (95%) of the phytoplankton community while at the surface. When migrating below the surface, they transported 11mg Cm(-2)d(-1) below the mixed layer, mostly through fecal pellets (91%). This flux is within the range of fluxes produced by zooplankton and micronekton communities.