Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Freshwater insects of different feeding guilds ingest microplastics in two Gulf of Guinea tributaries in Nigeria

Scientists collected freshwater insects from two Nigerian tributaries of the Gulf of Guinea and found microplastics ingested across different feeding guilds, providing rare baseline data on microplastic contamination of African freshwater ecosystems.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Using aquatic insects as indicators of microplastic pollution in rice field ecosystems

Researchers used aquatic insect communities as bioindicators of microplastic pollution in rice field ecosystems, comparing insect diversity and abundance across fields with different levels of plastic contamination. Insect assemblages responded sensitively to microplastic loads, demonstrating their potential as low-cost monitoring tools.

2024 Ecologica Montenegrina 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing microplastic ingestion, transformation, and excretion in insects using fluorescent plastics

Using fluorescent microplastics as tracers, researchers showed that insects can ingest, transform through digestion, and excrete microplastic particles, demonstrating that insects are both exposed to and potential vectors for spreading microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems.

2022 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracing the invisible microplastics in river water and fish organs and its implication of riverine ecosystem integrity

Researchers analyzed microplastics in river water and fish organ tissues from a river in South Asia, finding contamination throughout the aquatic food web. The study used the plastisphere framework to discuss how microbial communities colonizing microplastics may influence particle fate and biological effects.

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

Interactions between microplastics and Culex sp. larvae in wastewater

Researchers studied the interaction between microplastics and mosquito larvae in Egyptian wastewater treatment plants, finding that the larvae actively ingest plastic particles. They documented seasonal variation in microplastic abundance at the treatment facilities and showed that contaminated larvae could transfer plastics to adult mosquitoes. The study highlights an overlooked pathway by which microplastics in wastewater can spread into terrestrial ecosystems through flying insects.

2024 Water Environment Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastics pollution in aquatic species (fish, crab, and snail), water, and sediment from the Buriganga River, Bangladesh: An ecological risk appraisals

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution across water, sediment, fish, crab, and snail from Bangladesh's Buriganga River, finding widespread contamination with fibers and fragments along with elevated heavy metal concentrations on microplastic surfaces.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Female mosquito-a potential vector for transporting plastic residues to humans

Researchers found that mosquito larvae accumulate microplastics from sewage environments and retain them through metamorphosis into adult females, suggesting that mosquitoes could serve as vectors for transporting plastic residues to humans through biting.

2022 Chemosphere 21 citations
Review Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics and Organic Pollutants in Bangladesh's Freshwater Environment: A Review

This review examines microplastic and organic pollutant contamination in Bangladesh's freshwater environments, highlighting that microplastics act as vectors carrying other toxic substances into aquatic food webs. Given the heavy reliance on freshwater resources in Bangladesh, this dual contamination threat poses serious risks to both ecosystem health and human food safety.

2021 American Journal of Agricultural Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

Tracing the invisible microplastics in river water and fish organs and its implication of riverine ecosystem integrity

Researchers traced microplastics in river water and fish organs from a South Asian river system, finding widespread contamination across multiple tissue types. The study identified the plastisphere concept as a useful framework for understanding how plastic-associated microbial communities accompany microplastics through aquatic food webs.

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

Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments

Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.

2020 Environmental Pollution 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Can water mites’ parasitism influence the number of microplastics ingested by aquatic insects?

Researchers discovered for the first time that parasitic water mites, which infect aquatic insects, influence how many microplastic particles those insects ingest, with mite-infested insects ingesting more microplastics — a finding that suggests parasites may play an unexpected role in how microplastics move through freshwater food webs.

2024 Applied Water Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Ontogenetic transfer of microplastics in natural populations of malaria mosquitoes in Western Siberia

Researchers studied how malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Western Siberia take up microplastics during their aquatic larval stage and carry them through metamorphosis into adulthood. Larvae accumulated millions of polystyrene particles within days, but the number dropped dramatically during each life stage transition, with only a few particles remaining in adult mosquitoes. The study confirms that flying insects can transfer waterborne microplastic pollution into terrestrial environments.

2024 Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and physical characterization of microplastics in mangrove-dwelling Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) of entotourism importance

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in mangrove-dwelling fireflies in Malaysia, finding microplastics in 50% of larvae and 14.8% of adults, representing one of the first studies of microplastic occurrence in this ecologically and culturally important insect group.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Occurrence Of Microplastics in Immature Aquatic Insects of Gua Musang Tributaries in Kelantan

Researchers investigated the presence and abundance of microplastics in freshwater immature aquatic insects, specifically caddisfly (Trichoptera) and dragonfly (Odonata) larvae, collected from two tributaries of Gua Musang in Kelantan, Malaysia. The study found that microplastics had accumulated in these larvae, raising concerns about microplastic transfer through aquatic food chains in the region.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as the vector for the attachment of polychlorinated biphenyls: A case study of urbanized Langat River, Malaysia

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels at six sites along the urbanized Langat River in Malaysia, finding microplastics acting as vectors that adsorb and transport PCBs with concentrations highest at sites with the greatest industrial activity.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Up and away: ontogenic transference as a pathway for aerial dispersal of microplastics

Researchers found that microplastics ingested by aquatic invertebrates can be transferred to adult winged insects during metamorphosis and subsequently dispersed aerially, identifying ontogenic transference as a novel pathway for microplastic transport from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems.

2018 Biology Letters 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastic in Egypt Wastewater Using Aquatic Insects as Bioindicators

Researchers used aquatic insect larvae as bioindicators to assess microplastic distribution in Egyptian wastewater systems influenced by industrial and human activity. Insects from high-pollution sites accumulated significantly more microplastics, confirming their utility as cost-effective biological indicators for tracking microplastic contamination in freshwater systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as potential vectors for selected organic chemical pollutants in river ecosystems

This study examined microplastics as vectors for organic chemical pollutants in African river ecosystems, where research on this topic remains sparse. Microplastics sampled from rivers adsorbed multiple organic pollutants, confirming their role as carriers that may concentrate and transport contaminants through freshwater food webs.

2024
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastics in commonly consumed fish species of the river Old Brahmaputra, Bangladesh

Researchers found microplastics in nearly 59% of edible fish from Bangladesh's Old Brahmaputra river, with polyethylene fibers and pellets dominating, and ingestion rates linked to fish size, feeding behavior, and downstream location.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion in aquatic insects: Implications of waterbirds and landfills and association with stable isotopes

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in aquatic insects (water boatmen and midges) across Mediterranean wetlands in southern Spain. They found 571 suspected microplastic particles, mostly blue polyester and polypropylene fibers, with higher contamination near landfills and in areas frequented by colonial waterbirds that feed at landfills. The study suggests that landfills and birds that visit them serve as significant vectors for transferring microplastics into wetland ecosystems.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Do microplastics mediate the effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms?

This review examined whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical contaminants in aquatic organisms, finding that while chemicals can sorb to microplastics, the evidence for microplastics significantly enhancing chemical toxicity in natural settings remains limited.

2021 Aquatic Toxicology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of microplastics on trophic interaction strengths and oviposition preferences of dipterans

Microplastic pollution in freshwater environments was found to alter predator-prey interactions and oviposition site preferences in aquatic dipteran insects, with implications for food web structure. The study highlights that microplastics can have indirect ecological effects by interfering with animal behavior and species interactions beyond direct toxicity.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigations into the Roles of Organisms on Environmental Plastic Pollution

This thesis investigated the roles of organisms in environmental plastic pollution, examining how marine and freshwater animals ingest microplastics and how they may transfer them through food webs. The work contributes to understanding the ecological consequences of plastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (USMAI Consortium)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic loads within riverine fishes and macroinvertebrates are not predictable from ecological or morphological characteristics

Researchers measured microplastic loads in riverine fish and macroinvertebrates and found that particle counts were not reliably predicted by species ecology or morphology, suggesting that individual variation and local environmental factors play a larger role in microplastic ingestion than feeding guild or habitat alone.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations