Dimethylsulfoniopropionate metabolism shapes microbial ecology and physiological adaptation during the austral winter in Southern Ocean sea ice and seawater

Abstract

Abstract Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a highly abundant marine organosulfur compound, with important roles in stress protection and climate-cooling gases production. Polar regions, particularly seawater and sea ice interfaces, are critical yet understudied DMSP cycling hotspots. Here, we reveal up to 38-fold higher DMSP concentrations in Southern Ocean sea ice versus seawaters, identifying sea ice as a concentrated reservoir of DMSP with implications for microbial stress tolerance and sulfur recycling. Eukaryotic algae harboring DSYB and DSYE genes were predicted to dominate DMSP production, but diverse and previously unidentified bacterial producers were also detected. This elevated abundance of algal biosynthetic genes likely underpins the higher DMSP concentrations in sea ice. Notably, DMSP catabolism, particularly the dmdA demethylase and dddD and dddK lyase genes, were more abundant than biosynthesis genes. Taken together, these findings reveal the widespread metabolism for DMSP cycling and underscore a dynamic reservoir and transformation hub influencing polar climate-cooling sulfur fluxes.