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Surface ocean productivity mediates the transfer of carbon to the deep ocean and in the process regulates atmospheric CO₂ levels. A common axiom in oceanography is that large phytoplankton contribute disproportionally to the transfer of carbon to the deep ocean because of their greater ability to escape grazing pressure, build biomass, and sink. In the present study, we assessed the relationship of net community production to phytoplankton assemblages and plankton size distribution in the Sub‐Antarctic Zone and northern reaches of the Polar Frontal Zone in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean. We reanalyzed and synthesized previously published estimates of O₂/Ar net community oxygen production (NCP) and triple‐O₂ isotopes gross primary oxygen production (GPP) along with microscopic and pigment analyses of the microbial community. Overall, we found that the axiom that large phytoplankton …