The concentrations of chlorins (chlorophyll transformation products indicative of phytoplankton production) and crenarchaeol (a marker for Crenarchaea abundance) are significantly positively correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient rs > 0.75) in four core records from freshwater (Lake Baikal) and marine settings (Southern, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans). This suggests a close relationship between Crenarchaea abundance and phytoplankton production. Degradation and transport mechanisms, as well as a common environmental trigger, may in part account for our observations, but these mechanisms alone cannot fully explain them. Instead our findings point to a metabolic dependence of Crenarchaea on resources released by phytoplankton, such as organic carbon or ammonium.