Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Intake of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá, Amapá, Brazil)

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in fish from a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River in the Brazilian Amazon, finding microplastics in stomach, intestine, and gill samples with ingestion patterns reflecting both passive and active uptake during normal feeding behavior.

2025 Aquatic Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of Amazonian fish species with different feeding habits

Microplastics were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple Amazonian fish species with different feeding habits from Lake Janauacá and the Anavilhanas Archipelago, with feeding strategy influencing ingestion rates—underscoring widespread microplastic contamination even in remote Amazon basin aquatic ecosystems.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Food ecology and presence of microplastic in the stomach content of neotropical fish in an urban river of the upper Paraná River Basin

Microplastics were found in the stomachs of multiple fish species in an urban Brazilian river, with ingestion rates linked to each species' feeding ecology. The findings confirm that microplastics have entered the freshwater food chain, raising concern about contamination reaching people who eat these fish.

2020 Ambiente e Agua - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Contamination of stream fish by plastic waste in the Brazilian Amazon

Researchers evaluated plastic contamination in small fish from Amazonian headwater streams in Brazil, finding widespread plastic pollution in these understudied tropical freshwater ecosystems and characterizing the shapes, sizes, and abundance of plastic items ingested.

2020 Environmental Pollution 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in fishes in amazon riverine beaches: Influence of feeding mode and distance to urban settlements

Researchers found microplastics in the digestive tracts of 29 fish species from Amazon riverine beaches, with contamination levels influenced by fish feeding mode and distance to urban settlements within a protected area.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of microplastic ingestion by fishes from the Amazon River estuary

Researchers documented the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by fish in the Amazon River estuary, finding plastic particles — predominantly polyamide and polyethylene pellets — in 30% of 189 specimens across 14 species, with larger fish containing more particles, indicating widespread contamination extending into one of the world's most biodiverse river systems.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestão e efeitos morfofisiológicos dos microplásticos em espécies de peixes da Amazônia Central

This Brazilian thesis investigates microplastic ingestion and its effects on fish from the Amazon basin, one of the world's most biodiverse freshwater systems. Given that aquatic organisms in even remote areas are exposed to microplastics, the research highlights risks to Amazon fish diversity and the potential for microplastics to disrupt aquatic food webs in previously pristine ecosystems.

2022
Article Tier 2

First record of plastic ingestion by an important commercial native fish (Prochilodus lineatus) in the middle Tietê River basin, Southeast Brazil

Researchers documented the first record of plastic ingestion by Prochilodus lineatus in Brazilian fluvial ecosystems, finding that 71.88% of individuals sampled contained plastics in their digestive tracts, with significantly higher particle loads in fish from the polluted Tietê River versus a cleaner tributary.

2020 Biota Neotropica 24 citations
Article Tier 2

First account of plastic pollution impacting freshwater fishes in the Amazon: Ingestion of plastic debris by piranhas and other serrasalmids with diverse feeding habits

Researchers found the first evidence of plastic ingestion by freshwater Amazonian fish, with about one quarter of 172 serrasalmid specimens (piranhas and relatives) across 16 species having consumed plastic particles of 12 polymer types — and notably, plastic ingestion occurred across all feeding guilds (herbivores, omnivores, carnivores) with no difference in frequency by diet.

2018 Environmental Pollution 216 citations
Article Tier 2

Avaliando a poluição plástica em ecossistemas brasileiros: um estudo integrado da poluição em organismos e ambientes.

Researchers examined plastic ingestion by freshwater fish across 23 species in the Upper Parana River floodplain in Brazil, finding that nine species ingested plastics and that seasonality significantly influenced ingestion rates, with the highest levels recorded during dry season. The study also synthesized trends and gaps in Brazilian plastic pollution research, linking plastic contamination patterns to fishing activities, domestic waste, and anthropogenic pressures in aquatic ecosystems.

2024 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variation in the ingestion of anthropogenic particles by Mylossoma duriventre in the Juruá River Valley, state of Acre, Brazil

This Brazilian study monitored microplastic ingestion by a commercially important fish species (Mylossoma duriventre) in the Amazon basin across wet and dry seasons, finding that fiber ingestion increased significantly during the high-water flood period. Hydroclimatic factors therefore appear to drive seasonal pulses of microplastic exposure in fish. Since this species is widely consumed by local communities, seasonal peaks in microplastic contamination have direct implications for human dietary exposure.

2026 Boletim do Instituto de Pesca
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in siluriform fish sold in Itacoatiara (AM), Brazil

Researchers in Brazil found that more than 83% of two commercially sold catfish species (Pterygoplichthys pardalis and Hoplosternum littorale) collected from Amazonian floodplains were contaminated with microplastics, averaging about 2.7 particles per fish. The dominant particle types were fibers and fragments, pointing to textile and packaging waste as key sources. Because these fish are widely consumed locally, this study highlights a direct route through which microplastics enter the human diet in the Amazon region.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a floodplain lake

Researchers surveyed macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a South American floodplain lake and found an average of 704 microplastic particles per square meter in sediments, with plastic contamination comparable to marine beaches — demonstrating that freshwater lakes can be major plastic pollution reservoirs.

2017 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and amount of microplastic ingested by fishes in watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico

Researchers quantified microplastic ingestion by fishes across several freshwater and estuarine watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico. The study documented widespread microplastic occurrence in fish from these environments, contributing important data about freshwater contamination at a time when most research had focused on marine ecosystems.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 307 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics in Water, Sediment, and Fish in Ancar Rivers Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Microplastics were detected in water, sediment, and fish samples from the Ancar River in Mataram City, Indonesia, with fish inadvertently ingesting plankton-sized plastic particles—demonstrating microplastic contamination in a freshwater urban river system and its transfer into local fish species consumed by residents.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Widespread microplastic ingestion by fish assemblages in tropical estuaries subjected to anthropogenic pressures

A survey of 2,233 fish from 69 species across two tropical Brazilian estuaries found microplastics in 9% of individuals, with ingestion rates linked to feeding guild, habitat use, and proximity to urban areas. The study demonstrates that microplastic ingestion is widespread even in tropical systems and is shaped by ecology rather than occurring at random.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 302 citations
Article Tier 2

The concentration of microplastic in water and fish (Gambusia affinis) collected from Brantas River

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in water and in the bodies of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) from the Brantas River in Malang, Indonesia, finding contamination in both. The study confirms that freshwater fish in Indonesian urban rivers are ingesting microplastics, raising concerns about human exposure through fish consumption.

2021 AIP conference proceedings 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in fish species from the Iquitos region in Peru, western Amazonia

Researchers found microplastics in 15 commercial fish species from markets in the Peruvian Amazon, detecting 2,337 particles across 61 specimens — among the first reports of microplastic contamination in fish from the Amazon basin.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Plastic contamination in fish digestive tracts in Amazonian rivers during a period of extreme low water

Researchers analyzed microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish from two Amazonian rivers during an extreme drought period in 2023. Microplastics were detected in multiple species from both Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, with fibers dominating, and higher concentrations found near human settlements, linking contamination to local plastic waste inputs.

2025 Journal of Fish Biology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in fish species from the Iquitos region in Peru, western Amazonia

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in 61 fish from 15 commercial species in the Peruvian Amazon near Iquitos. The study found microplastics in 100% of sampled fish, with an average of 38.3 particles per individual detected across gills and internal organs, demonstrating that microplastic pollution has reached even remote areas of the western Amazon basin.

2023 Acta Amazonica 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater fishes: Occurrence, impacts and future perspectives

This review synthesizes current knowledge about microplastic contamination in freshwater fish, which serve as important indicators of plastic pollution in rivers and lakes. Researchers found that microplastic ingestion patterns in fish are related to body size, feeding habits, and local urbanization levels, with controlled studies showing various effects on fish physiology and behavior. While fish can typically expel most microplastics quickly, certain particle shapes and sizes may remain in the body or cross into other organs through the intestinal wall.

2021 Fish and Fisheries 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of Plastics in a Wild Population of the Pacific Fat Sleeper (Dormitator latifrons)

This study documented plastic ingestion in the neotropical Pacific fat sleeper fish from an Ecuadorian wetland for the first time, finding plastics in 50% of individuals with an average of 30 particles per fish. Microplastics dominated the ingested plastic load, showing that wetland fish in South America are exposed to plastic pollution.

2023 Pacific Science
Article Tier 2

Ecological traits do not predict the uptake of microplastics by fishes in a Neotropical River

Researchers found that nearly half (49%) of 101 fish examined from a Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest river contained microplastics in their organs, with PET fibers being predominant and blue fibers accounting for 91% of all particles. Importantly, neither trophic level, feeding strategy, nor habitat predicted which fish were most contaminated — individual size and species-specific traits were better predictors. Since 55% of the analyzed species are consumed by humans, the study raises direct concerns about microplastic transfer through the food chain to people.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics ingestion by a common tropical freshwater fishing resource

Researchers assessed microplastic ingestion by Hoplosternum littorale, a commonly consumed freshwater fish in tropical regions. The study found evidence of microplastic contamination in these fish, highlighting knowledge gaps about microplastic impacts in freshwater environments and potential risks associated with human consumption of affected organisms.

2016 Environmental Pollution 373 citations