Lipids and pigments in deep-sea surface sediments and interfacial particles from the Western Crozet Basin

Deep-sea sediment samples were collected in the Western Crozet Basin (Indian sector of the Southern Ocean) through Permanently Open Ocean Zone (POOZ), Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ) and Sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ). Lipid class and fatty acid compositions were investigated to determine the sources and fate of organic matter in the first centimeter of sediment and, above this layer, in the fluff (when present) and particles in the overlying water. The total lipid content varied from 74 to 1033 μg l−1 in the overlying particles and fluffs, and from 24 to 97 μg g−1 dry mass (DM) in surficial sediments. Lipid composition was always dominated by phospholipids in the first centimeter of sediment and often in the overlying particles. The amount of phospholipids (labile compounds representative of fresh material) was compared to the amount of chlorophyll a (Chl a), another compound that is susceptible to rapid degradation. A strong N–S gradient was observed in the distribution of these two compounds, which was attributed to the contrasting hydrodynamic of the study area. The high sedimentation rate in POOZ resulted in better preservation of Chl a in this zone than in other zones of the Crozet Basin (PFZ and SAZ). Phospholipid fatty acids suggested the presence of viable as well as morphologically intact organisms, and these organisms consisted essentially of bacteria with some diatom cysts in the fluff of POOZ. These spores were able to grow in the culture, indicating that they were still viable. Despite the strong hydrodynamic variability, phospholipid fatty acids analysed from the deep-sea surficial sediments were never representative of plankton. This pointed to the extremely labile nature of the phospholipids originally present in planktonic material compared with Chl a, which was always found in overlying particles and surficial sediments.