Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

The effect of microplastics on the interspecific competition of Daphnia

Researchers investigated how microplastic presence affects interspecific competition between Daphnia species, finding that microplastics can alter competitive outcomes and shift population dynamics between coexisting zooplankton species.

2022 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of benzophenone-3 additive in the effect of polyethylene microplastics on Daphnia magna population dynamics

This 34-day study examined how polyethylene microplastic fragments, both with and without the common plastic additive benzophenone-3, affect Daphnia magna water flea populations. Researchers found that while the microplastics alone did not significantly change population size during the growth phase, the presence of the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 altered population dynamics, suggesting that plastic additives may pose greater ecological risks than the plastic particles themselves.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of benzophenone-3 additive in chronic toxicity of polyethylene microplastic fragments to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 in polyethylene microplastics affects chronic toxicity in the water flea Daphnia magna. Surprisingly, daphnids exposed to microplastics containing BP-3 had higher survival rates than those exposed to plain microplastics, likely because BP-3 leachate altered the organisms' light-seeking behavior, reducing their microplastic intake. However, both BP-3-containing microplastics and BP-3 alone negatively affected reproduction, suggesting the additive introduces distinct toxicity concerns.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct Effect of Benzophenone-3 Additive Leaching from Polyethylene Microplastics on Daphnia magna Population Dynamics

This study found that chemical additives leaching from polyethylene microplastics — specifically the UV stabilizer benzophenone-3 — caused significantly more harm to water flea (Daphnia magna) populations than the microplastic particles themselves. Leachate from the plastic delayed development and stunted growth, resulting in a population nearly 15 times smaller after 18 days compared to controls. The plastic particles alone did not cause significant population decline. This highlights that the hidden chemicals inside plastics may pose a greater ecological risk than the physical particles, a concern for aquatic food webs that ultimately link to human seafood consumption.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Microparticles on Individual Fitness in Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the effects of natural and anthropogenic microparticles on the fitness of the water flea Daphnia magna. The study found that both primary microplastics from cosmetic products and secondary microplastics from degraded plastic waste can have detrimental effects on zooplankton feeding and fitness, with particle shape and weathering influencing toxicity.

2016 PLoS ONE 463 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect interspecific interactions between cladoceran species in the absence and presence of predators by triggering asymmetric individual responses

Researchers studied how microplastics affect the competition between two species of tiny freshwater crustaceans, both with and without a predator present. Microplastics reduced feeding rates and reproduction differently in each species, shifting the competitive balance between them. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could alter species interactions in aquatic ecosystems, potentially changing which organisms thrive and which decline.

2023 Water Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and natural particles on the aquatic invertebrate Daphnia magna under different dietary quality scenarios

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to both natural particles—including sediment, algae, and biofilm—and polystyrene microplastics to compare their effects, finding that natural particles caused similar or greater harm than microplastics at equivalent concentrations, highlighting the need for environmental context in MP toxicity studies.

2025 Oecologia
Article Tier 2

Ecological fitness impairments induced by chronic exposure to polyvinyl chloride nanospheres in Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed the freshwater organism Daphnia magna to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene nanoplastics over 21 days. They found that PVC nanoplastics caused greater impairments to growth, reproduction, and overall ecological fitness compared to polystyrene particles of similar size. The study suggests that the chemical composition of nanoplastics, not just their size, plays a significant role in determining their toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2024 Heliyon 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening study of four environmentally relevant microplastic pollutants: Uptake and effects on Daphnia magna and Artemia franciscana

Researchers exposed Daphnia water fleas and brine shrimp to four real-world microplastic types from consumer products, finding that smaller particles were ingested more readily by daphnids, that gut accumulation depended on particle size, and that while no acute lethality occurred, brine shrimp growth was impaired.

2018 Chemosphere 167 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term and long-term effects of microplastics and organic UV-filters on the invertebrate model species Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to polystyrene microplastics, a mixture of UV-filter chemicals found in sunscreens, or both over 21 days. The microplastics alone reduced body size and reproduction, while combined exposure with UV-filters further impaired swimming behavior and offspring production. The study highlights that microplastics and common personal care product chemicals can interact to create compounding negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics on the Growth, Reproduction and Survival of Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to polyvinyl chloride microplastics at different concentrations, alone and combined with two algal food sources, and measured growth, reproduction, and survival. PVC microplastics reduced fecundity and survival in a dose-dependent manner, with food source type modulating the severity of toxicity effects.

2025 International Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

The synergistic effect of mono and co-exposure of microplastic suspensions on Daphnia magna’s survival, population density, reproduction rate & swimming behavior.

When water fleas (Daphnia magna) were exposed to mixtures of HDPE, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics together, the combined toxicity was substantially greater than any single polymer alone, with the mixture LC50 dropping to 77 mg/L compared to 109–123 mg/L for individual plastics. This synergistic effect — reducing survival, reproduction, and normal swimming behavior — is an important finding because organisms in nature encounter mixtures of plastic types, not just one at a time.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone affects Daphnia magna depending on the developmental stage

Researchers examined the combined effects of microplastic exposure and the naturally occurring chemical 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on Daphnia magna, investigating how plastic particles interact with an invasive species-linked chemical stressor in freshwater. Co-exposure produced different effects than either stressor alone, illustrating how microplastics complicate toxicity in multi-stressor freshwater environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Selective ingestion and response by Daphnia magna to environmental challenges of microplastics

Researchers used fluorescent microplastics labeled with aggregation-induced emission markers to investigate how Daphnia magna selectively ingests different types of plastic particles, finding that particle type, size, and surface chemistry influence ingestion patterns and toxicological response.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 27 citations
Review Tier 2

Ecotoxicology of microplastics in Daphnia: A review focusing on microplastic properties and multiscale attributes of Daphnia

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics affect Daphnia, a key organism in aquatic food webs, across individual, population, and community levels. Researchers found that the toxicity of microplastics to Daphnia depends heavily on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, and that combined exposure with other pollutants can produce more severe effects. The study highlights Daphnia as an important indicator species for understanding how microplastic pollution cascades through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic particles and leaching additive on the life history and morphology of Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the chronic effects of flexible PVC microplastics containing the plasticizer DiNP versus rigid PVC without plasticizer on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. They found that flexible PVC increased body length and reduced offspring production, while rigid PVC and glass bead controls had no effect. The study demonstrates that the plasticizer additive leaching from microplastics, rather than the plastic particle itself, can be the primary driver of biological harm.

2019 Environmental Pollution 204 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Microplastics on Daphnia dentifera

Researchers examined the effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on the body size, swim speed, and clonal growth rate of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia dentifera, assessing sublethal physiological and behavioural impacts of two common plastic polymer types.

2025 SPARK Scholarship at Parkland (Parkland College)