Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in rocky shore mollusks of different feeding habits: An assessment of sentinel performance

Researchers examined microplastic levels in three types of rocky shore mollusks with different feeding habits along a pollution gradient in Brazil. Filter-feeding oysters accumulated the most microplastics, followed by plant-eating limpets and meat-eating snails, suggesting that how an animal feeds affects how much plastic it ingests. The study proposes that all three species could serve as useful sentinel organisms for monitoring microplastic contamination in coastal areas.

2024 Environmental Pollution 25 citations
Article Tier 2

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This review examines microplastic contamination in coastal and marine environments, focusing on bivalves as sentinel organisms due to their filter-feeding behavior and widespread use as human food, synthesizing evidence on physiological damage across aquatic species and ecological risks from plastic particle transfer through food chains.

2022 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Bivalves as Biological Sieves: Bioreactivity Pathways of Microplastics and Nanoplastics

This review examines how filter-feeding bivalves like mussels and oysters process and accumulate microplastics and nanoplastics of different sizes. Researchers found that larger particles pass through relatively quickly in feces, while smaller microplastics and nanoplastics tend to accumulate in digestive tissues and immune cells with longer retention times, making bivalves valuable bioindicators of plastic pollution.

2021 Biological Bulletin 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Pnw, Bivalves, and the Impact on Oceanic Ecosystems and Human Health

This review discusses how microplastics accumulate in bivalves such as oysters and mussels in Pacific Northwest coastal waters, how they move up the food chain, and why seafood consumers in the region may face elevated exposure risks. The paper synthesizes the threat to both marine ecosystem stability and human health from microplastic bioaccumulation in commercially important shellfish.

2023 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastics on bivalve mollusks: A bibliometric and scientific review

This review examines how microplastics affect bivalve shellfish like mussels, oysters, and clams, which are important both ecologically and as human food sources. Microplastics disrupt bivalve feeding, growth, reproduction, and immune function, and can also carry other toxic pollutants into their tissues. Since bivalves filter large volumes of water and are often eaten whole by humans, they represent a direct pathway for microplastic transfer from the ocean to our bodies.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Oyster as sentinels of recent microplastic contamination: Insights from a transplant experiment

Researchers used oyster transplantation experiments to study how microplastics accumulate and are excreted in sentinel organisms under field-realistic conditions. The study found that bivalves can serve as effective biomonitors of recent microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems. The findings help fill knowledge gaps about the dynamics of microplastic uptake and clearance in marine filter feeders.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Bivalve Mollusks as Biological Monitoring of Microplastic: A Review of Anadara antiquata and Gafrarium sp. in Indonesia

This Indonesian review examines two bivalve species (Anadara antiquata and Gafrarium sp.) as biological monitors of coastal microplastic contamination, synthesizing evidence that these filter feeders accumulate microplastics from seawater and serve as reliable sentinels for pollution in Indonesian coastal ecosystems.

2025 International Journal of Science and Research Archive
Article Tier 2

Using mussel as a global bioindicator of coastal microplastic pollution

This review evaluates whether mussels can serve as reliable global indicators of coastal microplastic pollution. Researchers found that mussels are well suited for this role due to their wide geographic distribution, filter-feeding behavior, and demonstrated ability to accumulate microplastics from surrounding waters. The study identifies remaining challenges in standardizing monitoring methods but concludes that mussels offer a practical and ecologically relevant tool for tracking marine microplastic contamination.

2018 Environmental Pollution 571 citations
Article Tier 2

Oysters and mussels as equivalent sentinels of microplastics and natural particles in coastal environments

Researchers compared how oysters and mussels accumulate microplastics in a polluted Brazilian estuary and found both species performed equally well as biological monitors of contamination. Some of the highest microplastic levels ever recorded in shellfish were found at the most polluted sites. Since oysters and mussels are widely consumed as seafood, these contamination levels raise direct concerns about human microplastic exposure through shellfish consumption.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in four bivalve species and basis for using bivalves as bioindicators of microplastic pollution

Researchers found microplastics in 80% of shellfish samples (scallops, mussels, oysters, and clams) collected across four seasons in Qingdao, China. PVC and rayon fibers were the most common plastic types, with different shellfish species accumulating different sizes and types of particles. Since these shellfish are commonly eaten by people, the findings highlight a direct route for microplastics to enter the human diet through seafood.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 257 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on sessile invertebrates in the eastern coast of Thailand: An approach to coastal zone conservation

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in three abundant intertidal invertebrate species along Thailand's eastern coast, including rock oysters, barnacles, and periwinkles. They found microplastic accumulation rates of 0.2 to 0.6 particles per gram across all species, with filter-feeding organisms showing higher accumulation. The study suggests that sessile intertidal organisms can serve as effective bioindicators for monitoring coastal microplastic pollution levels.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 208 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Barnacles as silent sentinels of microplastic pollution: Evidence from Gujarat coast, India and a global meta-analysis of sessile marine species

This study found microplastics in all eight barnacle species sampled across 13 coastal sites in Gujarat, India, with fibers and fragments of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene predominating. A global meta-analysis confirmed that sessile marine organisms like barnacles serve as reliable bioindicators of local microplastic contamination levels.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in coastal and marine environments: A critical issue of plastic pollution on marine organisms, seafood contaminations, and human health implications

This review highlights the serious threat microplastics pose to marine life and the millions of people who depend on seafood as a primary protein source. Marine organisms, especially filter-feeders like oysters and mussels, accumulate microplastics that can cause tissue damage, oxidative stress, immune changes, and behavioral problems. Since these shellfish are often eaten raw, any toxins they accumulate -- including microplastics -- pass directly to humans.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Bivalves with potential for monitoring microplastics in South America

Researchers tested three South American mussel species and found that all of them accumulated microplastics in their tissues, feces, and pseudofeces, suggesting these bivalves can serve as reliable bioindicators — living monitors — for microplastic contamination in coastal waterways.

2021 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 29 citations
Review Tier 2

Tracing Microplastic Pollution Through Animals: A Narrative Review of Bioindicator Approaches

This review evaluates animals that have been proposed as bioindicators for monitoring microplastic pollution across aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments. Researchers found that bivalves like clams and mussels are among the most suitable indicators due to their wide distribution, effective microplastic retention, and well-established analytical methods. The study provides a framework for selecting appropriate sentinel species based on ecological, physiological, and methodological criteria.

2026 Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Selective Ingestion and Egestion of Plastic Particles by the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica): Implications for Using Bivalves as Bioindicators of Microplastic Pollution

Blue mussels and eastern oysters were found to selectively ingest and egest microplastic particles based on size and composition, with both species showing preferences that differed from random ingestion. The selective behavior affects how reliably these bivalves can be used as bioindicators of microplastic pollution, since their gut contents may not proportionally reflect ambient plastic concentrations.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 336 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the hidden impacts: A comprehensive review of microplastic effects on marine bivalves

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics accumulate in marine bivalves through their filter-feeding behavior, covering mechanisms of ingestion, bioaccumulation, oxidative stress induction, immune disruption, and growth inhibition, with implications for food safety given widespread human consumption of bivalves.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Review Tier 2

Influence of Microplastics on Freshwater Bivalves (Review)

This review analyzed studies on microplastic uptake, bioaccumulation, and biological effects in freshwater bivalves, which serve as both pollution sentinels and vectors for microplastic entry into food webs. The authors found consistent evidence for particle accumulation causing physiological stress, while calling for more standardized exposure protocols to improve cross-study comparability.

2024 Inland Water Biology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of the vertical transport of microplastics by biodeposition of typical mariculture filter-feeding organisms

This study quantified the vertical transport of microplastics by mariculture filter feeders (oysters and mussels) through biodeposition of feces and pseudofeces, finding that bivalve biodeposition is a meaningful biological pump driving microplastics from surface water to the seafloor.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics, Additives, and Plasticizers in Freshwater Bivalves: Preliminary Research of Biomonitoring

Freshwater mussels (Anodonta cygnea) deployed in three Italian rivers accumulated microplastics primarily in their gills and digestive tracts, with polyamide (nylon) fibers being the most common type found. The study also detected plasticizers and additives within the bivalves, demonstrating that these organisms can serve as effective sentinels for monitoring the full chemical footprint of plastic pollution in river systems.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring microplastics in commercial bivalve species and in bivalve aquaculture waters: Insights from the southern Pacific

Microplastics were detected in multiple commercially sold bivalve species (such as mussels and oysters) and in nearby inland and coastal waters. Because bivalves are widely eaten by humans, the findings raise direct concerns about microplastic dietary exposure through seafood consumption.

2025 Water Biology and Security 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on freshwater bivalves (review)

This review synthesized knowledge on how microplastics affect freshwater bivalves, covering ingestion, tissue accumulation, physiological stress responses, and reproductive impacts. Bivalves are shown to be sensitive bioindicators of microplastic contamination in rivers and lakes.

2024 Биология внутренних вод 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of sediment dwelling bivalves to biomonitor plastic particle pollution in intertidal regions; A review and study

Varnish and Manila clams from eight intertidal sites in British Columbia, Canada were evaluated as potential biomonitors for microplastic pollution. The study found these bivalves accumulate microplastics and could serve as useful indicators for tracking contamination trends in coastal ecosystems.

2020 PLoS ONE 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in commercially important edible marine bivalves: A comprehensive review

This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in edible shellfish like mussels, clams, and oysters, which accumulate high levels of plastic particles in their tissues. Because bivalves are eaten whole including their digestive systems, they are a direct pathway for microplastics to enter the human body. While microplastics do not appear to kill shellfish outright, they can harm their immune systems and reproduction, potentially affecting both shellfish populations and human consumers.

2024 Food Chemistry X 26 citations