Papers

61,005 results
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Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unraveling Microplastic Effects on Gut Microbiota across Various Animals Using Machine Learning

This meta-analysis used machine learning to compare how microplastics affect gut bacteria across different animal species. Mice showed the strongest negative effects, including reduced gut bacterial diversity and imbalanced gut flora — shifts linked to health problems in humans too. The study identified specific bacterial markers, including Lactobacillus, that could help detect microplastic-related gut damage.

2024 ACS Nano 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota of aquatic organisms: A key endpoint for ecotoxicological studies

This review examines how environmental contaminants including microplastics, pesticides, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals affect the gut microbiota of aquatic organisms. Researchers highlight that changes in gut bacterial communities can serve as sensitive indicators of pollution exposure and may have downstream effects on host fitness. The study calls for improved methodologies to better link contaminant-induced shifts in gut microbiota to measurable health outcomes in aquatic species.

2019 Environmental Pollution 261 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the response of bacterial community functions to microplastic features in lake ecosystems through interpretable machine learning

Researchers used machine learning models to investigate how different characteristics of microplastics affect bacterial communities in lake ecosystems. They found that the color, shape, and polymer type of microplastics all influenced bacterial functions related to carbon and nitrogen cycling and human health. The study suggests that specific microplastic features, such as yellow coloring and PET polymer type, have distinct impacts on microbial communities in freshwater environments.

2025 Environmental Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Exposure Across Trophic Levels: Effects on the Host Microbiota of Freshwater Organisms

Researchers investigated how microplastic exposure affects the gut bacteria communities of freshwater organisms including fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans. Microplastics—particularly when combined with pesticides—altered gut microbiota composition, which could impair digestion, immunity, and overall health of freshwater species.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an aquatic pollutant affect gut microbiota within aquatic animals

This review examined how microplastics affect the gut microbiota of aquatic animals, analyzing the roles of plastic-associated chemicals and biofilms in disrupting microbial communities from ingestion through physiological impacts.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic exposure across trophic levels: effects on the host–microbiota of freshwater organisms

Researchers examined how microplastic exposure across trophic levels affects the gut microbiota of freshwater organisms, finding that microplastics alter microbial community composition and that effects can transfer through food web interactions.

2022 Environmental Microbiome 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-omics association pattern between gut microbiota and host metabolism of a filter-feeding fish in situ exposed to microplastics

Scientists exposed filter-feeding fish to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics and found that the particles reshaped gut bacteria communities, which in turn altered the fish's liver metabolism through changes in amino acid processing. This gut-microbiome-to-organ connection matters because it shows microplastics may affect human health not just through direct toxicity but by disrupting the beneficial bacteria in our digestive systems.

2025 Environment International 11 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Quantitative evaluation of microplastic interference with gut microbiota: Identifying sensitive indicators and key factors

This meta-analysis combined with machine learning found that the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio is the most sensitive biomarker of microplastic-induced gut microbiome disruption, with exposure concentration, particle size, and duration as the key drivers. The resulting predictive model (R=0.91) offers a quantitative tool for assessing gastrointestinal harm from microplastic exposure.

2025 Environmental Research
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impacts of microplastics on gut health: Current status and future directions

This systematic review found consistent evidence across mouse, fish, and earthworm models that microplastics disrupt gut microbiota composition, impair intestinal barrier integrity, and trigger gastrointestinal inflammation. The correlation between microplastic exposure and gut health deterioration was statistically significant across all animal models examined.

2025 Indian Journal of Gastroenterology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Decoding the PlasticPatch: Exploring the Global MicroplasticDistribution in the Surface Layers of Marine Regions with InterpretableMachine Learning

Researchers applied four interpretable machine learning algorithms to a calibrated global marine microplastic dataset to construct a predictive model of surface-layer microplastic distribution, finding that biogeochemical and anthropogenic factors are the dominant drivers of global marine microplastic pollution patterns.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on human gut microbiota: first evidences from in vitro gut models

Researchers investigated the impact of microplastics on human gut microbiota using in vitro gut models, providing early experimental evidence of how microplastic exposure may disrupt intestinal microbial communities. The study offers foundational data on microplastic-microbiome interactions that are difficult to study directly in humans.

2022 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

Predictive modeling of microplastic adsorption in aquatic environments using advanced machine learning models

Scientists used advanced machine learning models to predict how microplastics interact with and absorb organic pollutants in water. The results showed that microplastics with certain chemical properties attract more toxic compounds, which matters because contaminated microplastics in waterways can concentrate harmful chemicals that may eventually reach humans through drinking water and seafood.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics in our water: Fish microbiomes at risk?

This review examined how microplastics and leached plasticizers affect the gut microbiomes of freshwater and marine fish, summarizing evidence for dysbiosis and reduced microbial diversity and discussing potential consequences for fish immunity, metabolism, and environmental fitness.

2021 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D Genomics and Proteomics 25 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics predominantly affect gut microbiota by altering community structure rather than richness and diversity: A meta-analysis of aquatic animals

A phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis of 63 studies across 31 aquatic species found that microplastics significantly alter gut microbiota community structure — with between-group distances 87.75% higher than within-group distances — even at environmentally relevant concentrations. However, microplastics did not significantly affect species richness or Shannon diversity, indicating structural reorganization rather than diversity loss.

2024 Environmental Pollution 24 citations
Article Tier 2

The Characteristics of Intestinal Bacterial Community in Three Omnivorous Fishes and Their Interaction with Microbiota from Habitats

This study examined the gut bacterial communities of three omnivorous fish species in artificial fishery habitats, comparing them to bacteria in the surrounding water and sediment. Fish gut microbiomes partially reflected the environmental microbiota, suggesting habitat quality affects fish gut health. This is relevant to microplastics because microplastics alter both aquatic microbial communities and fish gut microbiomes.

2021 Microorganisms 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between microplastics and microorganism as well as gut microbiota: A consideration on environmental animal and human health

This review explores how microplastics interact with microorganisms in the environment and within the gut, examining implications for both animal and human health. Researchers found that microplastics can alter gut microbiota composition, promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and gut microorganisms is an important emerging area for understanding health risks.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 405 citations
Review Tier 2

Application of intestinal microbiota in marine fish for assessing the toxicity of typical pollutants: a literature review

This review examines how the gut microbiota of marine fish can serve as biomarkers for assessing the toxic effects of ocean pollutants, including microplastics, heavy metals, antibiotics, and petroleum hydrocarbons. The study highlights that changes in key microbial communities in fish intestines reflect environmental contamination levels and could provide valuable indicators for monitoring marine ecosystem health.

2025 PeerJ 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Current levels of microplastic pollution impact wild seabird gut microbiomes

Researchers studied wild seabirds and found that the amount of microplastics in their guts was linked to significant changes in their gut bacteria. Birds with more microplastics had fewer beneficial bacteria and more harmful ones, including disease-causing and antibiotic-resistant species. This is one of the first studies to show that real-world microplastic exposure is already altering gut microbiomes in wild animals.

2023 Nature Ecology & Evolution 139 citations
Article Tier 2

Decoding the Plastic Patch: Exploring the Global Microplastic Distribution in the Surface Layers of Marine Regions with Interpretable Machine Learning

Researchers used interpretable machine learning algorithms to predict global marine microplastic distribution patterns based on calibrated field data. The study found that biogeochemical and human activity factors had the greatest influence on microplastic concentrations, which ranged from about 0.2 to 27 particles per cubic meter across the world's oceans, providing a framework for pollution management and decision-making.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics exposure on mussel (Mytilus edulis) gut microbiota

Researchers exposed marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) to microplastics and analyzed changes to their gut microbiota, finding significant shifts in microbial community composition that could affect digestion, immunity, and overall health.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the mechanism of microplastic-associated antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic ecosystems: Insights from metagenomic analyses and machine learning

By analyzing large-scale genetic datasets with machine learning, researchers found that the type of microplastic strongly influences which bacteria grow on it and which antibiotic resistance genes those bacteria carry. Surprisingly, biodegradable plastics like PLA (often marketed as eco-friendly) posed a higher risk of harboring antibiotic resistance genes than conventional plastics, raising concerns about resistance spreading through water systems to humans.

2024 Water Research 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Faunal-microbial synergism reconfigures wetland microcosm ecosystems: Machine learning elucidates bioturbation-driven ecological resilience

Researchers conducted a 360-day study using tubifex-augmented wetland microcosms combined with machine learning analytics to understand ecosystem resilience against polystyrene microplastics. The study found that faunal-microbial synergism driven by bioturbation helped reconfigure wetland ecosystems and maintain decontamination capacity despite microplastic infiltration.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

[Overview of the Application of Machine Learning for Identification and Environmental Risk Assessment of Microplastics].

This review examines the application of machine learning (ML) methods for identifying microplastics and assessing their environmental risks, covering techniques for improving the accuracy and reliability of microplastic detection across different environmental media. Researchers highlight how ML can systematically analyse pollution characteristics and support ecological risk evaluation of microplastic contamination.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Plastic Debris on the Gut Microbiota of Caretta caretta From Northwestern Adriatic Sea

Researchers analyzed fecal microbiota from 45 loggerhead sea turtles and found that individuals with more ingested plastic debris had distinct gut microbial compositions, suggesting plastic pollution may be altering the gut ecosystem of this Mediterranean flagship species.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 45 citations