Papers

Microbial education for marine invertebrate disease prevention in aquaculture

This review examines how manipulating the microbial communities of farmed shellfish and crustaceans can help prevent diseases in aquaculture. While not directly about microplastics, the paper is relevant because microplastic contamination in aquaculture environments can disrupt the beneficial microbiomes of farmed species, making them more vulnerable to disease. Healthier aquaculture organisms also mean safer seafood for human consumption.

The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers

Researchers reanalyzed data on microplastics in rivers and oceans and found that previous estimates of how much plastic rivers deliver to the ocean were overestimated by 100 to 1,000 times. This means microplastics actually stay at the ocean surface much longer than previously thought, lasting years rather than days. The finding changes our understanding of where ocean microplastics come from and how long marine life and potentially seafood are exposed to them.

What are the toxicity thresholds of chemical pollutants for tropical reef-building corals? A systematic review

Researchers compiled an open-access database of toxicity thresholds for chemical pollutants tested on tropical reef-building corals, aiming to help environmental managers assess ecological risk from pollution. The review notes that effective concentration data are missing from more than half of studies, and that findings need broader replication across understudied coral species and regions.

Exposure to nanoplastics and nanomaterials either single and combined affects the gill-associated microbiome of the Antarctic soft-shelled clam Laternula elliptica

Researchers exposed the Antarctic soft-shell clam Laternula elliptica to polystyrene nanoparticles and nano-titanium dioxide — alone and combined — and found that both nanomaterials shift the gill-associated microbiome toward potentially harmful bacterial taxa, with combined exposure amplifying changes in metabolic functions related to nutrient and DNA processing.

Important questions to progress science and sustainable management of anguillid eels

A team of 30 eel experts reviewed the current state of knowledge about anguillid eels worldwide and identified critical research gaps across their lifecycle, the threats they face, and management strategies. The study notes that pollution, including microplastics, is among the many threats contributing to population declines in these ecologically important fish. Researchers emphasize that without better international coordination and adaptive management, the outlook for many eel species remains concerning.

The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead

This paper reviews the progress and challenges of the One Health concept, which recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Researchers discuss how emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental pollution including chemical contaminants all require a cross-disciplinary approach. The study emphasizes that addressing modern health threats requires integrating ecological and environmental sciences alongside traditional medicine and veterinary practices.

Unlocking secrets of microbial ecotoxicology: recent achievements and future challenges

This review explores how microorganisms interact with environmental pollutants, including microplastics, covering how bacteria can break down pollutants but are also harmed by them. The authors highlight that microplastics create new surfaces in the environment where bacteria form communities, potentially spreading harmful species or antibiotic resistance. Understanding these microbial interactions is critical for developing nature-based solutions to reduce pollution and protect human health.

Floating macrolitter leaked from Europe into the ocean

Evidence on the impacts of chemicals arising from human activity on tropical reef-building corals; a systematic map

This systematic review maps the evidence on how chemicals from human activity, including plastic-derived pollutants, affect tropical coral reefs. While focused on marine ecosystems rather than direct human health, the decline of coral reefs threatens the food security of millions of people who depend on reef fisheries for nutrition and livelihood.

Transcriptomic responses of Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica to nanoparticles, at single and combined exposures reveal ecologically relevant biomarkers

Researchers exposed Antarctic clams to polystyrene nanoparticles and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, finding that both types altered gene expression in ways affecting immune function, antioxidant defenses, lipid metabolism, and cell structure — with the combined exposure producing a distinct response. Four specific gene transcripts were identified as reliable biomarkers for nanoparticle exposure, offering tools for monitoring pollution in the fragile Antarctic ecosystem.

Small microplastics have much higher mass concentrations than large microplastics at the surface of nine major European rivers

Researchers compared large and small microplastic concentrations at the surface of nine major European rivers using standardized sampling protocols. The study found that small microplastics (25-500 micrometers) had much higher mass concentrations than large microplastics, with ratios up to 1,000 times greater in some rivers, suggesting that current monitoring focused on larger particles may significantly underestimate total microplastic pollution.

Mission Tara Microplastics: a holistic set of protocols and data resources for the field investigation of plastic pollution along the land-sea continuum in Europe

Researchers present a comprehensive set of sampling protocols from the Tara Microplastics mission, which investigated plastic pollution along nine major European rivers by measuring microplastic concentrations, microbial communities, and biophysicochemical parameters along salinity gradients.

A Pan-European study of the bacterial plastisphere diversity along river-to-sea continuums

Researchers conducted a large-scale study of bacterial communities living on microplastic surfaces along river-to-sea pathways in nine major European rivers during the Tara Microplastics mission. They found that microplastics can transport freshwater bacteria into marine environments, representing a potential dispersal mechanism for microorganisms across ecosystems. The study highlights that the plastisphere community composition shifts along the river-sea continuum.

The effect of the mineral matrix during thermal analysis of polymers: Implications for microplastics characterization

Researchers tested how mineral particles in natural sediments — like clays and iron oxides — interfere with a thermal analysis method (Rock-Eval) used to identify and measure microplastics, finding that minerals can speed up, slow down, or fractionate polymer breakdown. Despite these distortions, plastic quantities can still be accurately measured, validating the method for real-world sediment samples.

Comparison of macrolitter and meso- and microplastic pollution on French riverbanks and coastal beaches using citizen science with schoolchildren

A citizen science project with 3,113 French schoolchildren sampled 81 riverbanks and 66 coastal beaches, collecting 55,986 plastic pieces, and found that riverbanks had comparable plastic pollution levels to beaches, highlighting rivers as underrecognized plastic accumulation zones.

Microplastic fluxes in a large and a small Mediterranean river catchments: The Têt and the Rhône, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

This study quantified microplastic fluxes in two Mediterranean rivers, the large Rhone and the smaller Tet, finding that fluxes vary markedly through time and space and spike during high-flow events. No clear relationship between microplastic concentrations and hydroclimatic variables was found, highlighting the complexity of riverine microplastic transport.

Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems

Researchers from the Tara Pacific expedition collected nearly 58,000 samples from coral reefs and ocean surface waters across 32 Pacific islands between 2016 and 2018, creating a massive open-access dataset for studying ocean ecosystems. This publicly available resource allows scientists worldwide to investigate a wide range of questions about coral reef health, ocean biodiversity, and environmental change.

Physiological and molecular effects of contaminants of emerging concerns of micro and nano-size in aquatic metazoans: overview and current gaps in Antarctic species

Researchers reviewed physiological and molecular effects of micro-nanoplastics and engineered nanoparticles on Antarctic aquatic invertebrates, highlighting that filter-feeding species like Antarctic krill can ingest and transform these particles and serve as sentinels for pollution, while calling for standardized early biomarkers to assess ecosystem-level risks in this vulnerable region.

Contaminated freshwater as a Harbinger of tropical disease spread in Europe

This study examined how contaminated freshwater systems contribute to the spread of tropical infectious diseases into new geographic areas, discussing how microplastic pollution interacts with pathogen transport and vector habitat expansion.

Beached microplastics in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence on two beaches in the Northwestern Mediterranean Gulf of Lion, finding significant concentrations of fragments and pellets in beach sediments with notable variation between beach zones and sampling periods over a one-month interval.

Transcriptomic Responses of Antarctic Clam Laternula Elliptica to Nanoparticles, at Single and Combined Exposures: Revealing Ecologically Relevant Biomarkers

What evidence exists on the impacts of chemicals arising from human activity on tropical reef-building corals? A systematic map protocol

Researchers proposed a systematic map of evidence on how human-made chemicals — including microplastics — affect tropical reef-building corals, which support some of Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems. By cataloging what combinations of chemicals and coral responses have been studied, the map will help identify research gaps and guide local conservation decisions that can reduce chemical stress even as global climate threats persist.

Tara Mission Microplastics rDNA 18S V9 ASV table (DADA2)

Researchers released an 18S V9 amplicon sequence variant (ASV) table generated via DADA2 from the Tara Mission Microplastics expedition, providing a eukaryotic community dataset linked to microplastic-associated samples across global ocean transects. The dataset includes contextual metadata on sampling protocols, temperature, and nutrient concentrations to facilitate ecological analysis of plastisphere communities.

How the digestive gland of Laternula elliptica reacts to nanoplastics and nanometals, both alone and together at global gene expression and oxygen consumption level