Shifts in phenology – annually occurring life history events – have been observed among many marine organisms due to global warming. We examined if phenological changes in the pteropod (pelagic snail) Limacina helicina antarctica have occurred along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, one of the most intensely warming regions on Earth, which would have important implications for regional food web dynamics. Pteropod shell diameters were analyzed from samples collected in the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) program year-round sediment trap from 2004 to 2018. There was considerable interannual variability in the time of appearance of a new pteropod cohort, which ranged from day of year 22–255, but no long-term, directional change. Mean L. h. antarctica growth rate for the time series was 0.009 mm day⁻¹ and there was no significant long-term change in growth rate. This study represents the first in the Southern Ocean to illustrate that pteropods actively grow throughout the winter season. Sea ice was the dominant driver of pteropod phenology, with earlier sea ice retreat the year prior, lower winter sea surface temperature (SST) the year prior, and higher primary productivity in the same year leading to earlier pteropod time of appearance. Similarly, more open water with higher autumn SST, both the year prior, and elevated chlorophyll a the same year, promoted faster pteropod growth. These results indicate that while pteropods are responsive to considerable environmental variability, their phenology has remained relatively stable. The identified responses of pteropod phenology to environmental shifts are key for determining future effects of climate change on biogeochemical cycling and plankton trophic interactions in the region.

由于全球变暖，在许多海洋生物中观察到了物候变化（每年发生的生命历史事件）。我们检查了沿南极半岛西部（地球上最强烈的变暖地区之一）的翼足类（浮游蜗牛）南极洲的物候变化，这将对区域食物网动态产生重要影响。对翼足类动物的壳径进行了分析，该数据是从2004年至2018年在南极Palmer长期生态研究（PAL LTER）计划全年进行的沉积物捕集阱中收集的。新的翼足类动物队列出现的时间存在较大的年际变化，从22-255年的一天开始，但没有长期的方向变化。平均L. h。南极洲时间序列的增长率为0.009毫米日^-1，增长率没有显着的长期变化。这项研究代表了南大洋地区的首次研究，表明足类在整个冬季都活跃生长。海冰是翼足类动物物候学的主要驱动力，前一年海冰较早退缩，前一年冬季海面温度（SST）较低，同年较高的初级生产力导致翼足类动物出现较早。同样，前一年的秋季开水率较高，而开阔水域的叶绿素a含量较高同年，促进了翼足类动物更快的生长。这些结果表明，尽管翼足类动物对相当大的环境变异性有反应，但它们的物候学保持相对稳定。确定的翼足类动物物候对环境变化的响应是确定气候变化对该地区生物地球化学循环和浮游生物营养相互作用的未来影响的关键。