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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Macroinvertebrate colonisation of macroplastic litter in minimally disturbed river sites, Eastern Cape, South Africa
ClearMicroplastics and riverine macroinvertebrate communities in a multiple-stressor context: A mesocosm approach
Researchers conducted a seven-week experiment using streamside channels to study how microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect freshwater invertebrate communities, both alone and combined with fine sediment. They found that microplastic effects on invertebrate abundance and community composition were generally modest compared to the well-known impacts of sediment pollution. The study suggests that in real-world streams facing multiple stressors, microplastics may not be the dominant threat to bottom-dwelling organisms.
The microplastic profile of an urban African stream
Microplastics were detected in water, sediment, and chironomid larvae in the Braamfontein Spruit urban stream in Johannesburg, South Africa, with weirs and areas of reduced flow increasing local accumulation in sediment and invertebrates. The study demonstrates that urban stream features can concentrate microplastics and increase exposure for benthic organisms.
Contrasting Microplastic Characteristics in Macroinvertebrates from Two Independent but Adjacent Rivers in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Researchers investigated microplastics in benthic macroinvertebrates — including filter feeders, predators, and grazers — from the Olifants and Sabie rivers in Kruger National Park, finding an average of 1.0 MPs per organism and significantly higher burdens in filter feeders (8.8/organism) and predators (8.5/organism) than in grazers.
Preliminary indoor evidences of microplastic effects on freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates
Researchers exposed caddisfly and mayfly larvae to various microplastic polymers in laboratory experiments and found that caddisflies incorporated microplastics into their rebuilt cases and mayflies preferentially burrowed in microplastic substrates over natural ones. The study suggests that freshwater macroinvertebrates may not perceive microplastics as a direct threat, raising concerns about chronic exposure effects in heavily contaminated waterways.
Microcosm on a bottle: experimental tests on the colonization of plastic and glass substrates in a retention reservoir
This experiment compared how aquatic organisms colonized plastic versus glass bottle substrates in a Polish reservoir, finding differences in the diversity and composition of communities. The study provides insight into how plastic surfaces create distinct ecological niches compared to natural materials in freshwater environments.
Evidence of micro and macroplastic toxicity along a stream detrital food-chain.
Both micro- and macroplastic polyethylene pieces inhibited the decomposition of leaf litter in freshwater streams, with microplastics reducing the feeding activity of stream invertebrates. Since leaf litter decomposition is a critical process that nutrients and energy flow into freshwater food webs, plastic pollution could disrupt these fundamental ecosystem functions.
Profiling microplastics in a forgotten river system in Southern Africa
Researchers profiled microplastic distribution across the Nyl, Mogalakwena, and Limpopo Rivers in South Africa over multiple seasons. They found that seasons with reduced water flow had significantly higher microplastic concentrations in both water and sediment, while high-flow seasons produced a more evenly distributed but lower overall abundance. The study also detected microplastics in benthic macroinvertebrates throughout the river system, indicating the particles have become bioavailable in the food web.
Microplastics in freshwater sediments: Effects on benthic invertebrate communities and ecosystem functioning assessed in artificial streams
Researchers tested the effects of polyethylene microplastics on freshwater invertebrate communities in artificial streams using environmentally relevant concentrations. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the abundance of deposit-feeding and grazing organisms by 31-50%, with chironomids and mayflies showing the highest ingestion of plastic particles.
The Effect of Microplastics on Microbial Succession at Impaired and Unimpaired Sites in a Riverine System
Researchers compared microbial biofilm diversity on microplastic polymers and natural substrates at impaired and unimpaired riverine sites, examining how environmental nutrient loads, seasonality, and geography influence microbiome succession on plastic surfaces in freshwater ecosystems.
Comparison of microbial colonization between natural and plastic substrata in a polluted watershed
Researchers compared microbial colonization of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics with natural substrata (leaves, sediment, rocks) in an urbanized watershed, finding that microbial density and enzymatic activity were generally higher on natural substrata and that plastic contamination level at each site influenced community composition.
Microplastics have lethal and sublethal effects on stream invertebrates and affect stream ecosystem functioning
Using a mesocosm experiment, researchers showed that microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations caused lethal and sublethal effects on freshwater invertebrates and reduced key ecosystem functions including leaf litter decomposition and algal colonization of streambed substrates.
Distinctive patterns of bacterial community succession in the riverine micro-plastisphere in view of biofilm development and ecological niches
Scientists studied how bacterial communities develop on microplastics versus natural materials in river water and found that plastics support a distinct pattern of microbial colonization. The research identified specific bacteria capable of degrading microplastics and revealed that competition among microbes on plastic surfaces follows unexpected patterns compared to natural substrates.
Diatom and macroinvertebrate communities dynamic: a co-occurrence pattern analysis on plastic substrates
Researchers examined how diatoms and invertebrates colonize plastic debris in wetlands, finding that plastic surfaces host distinct biological communities compared to natural substrates. This suggests that plastic pollution in wetlands disrupts natural ecosystem processes beyond direct physical harm to wildlife.
Microplastics and leaf litter decomposition dynamics: New insights from a lotic ecosystem (Northeastern Italy)
Researchers studied how microplastics affect the natural decomposition of plant litter in a freshwater stream over four seasons, finding that microplastics had a small but measurable negative effect on decomposition rates and accumulated inside the invertebrates responsible for breaking down organic matter. These findings suggest microplastic pollution subtly disrupts the nutrient cycling processes that keep freshwater ecosystems healthy.
Microplastic accumulation in benthic macroinvertebrates is widespread, regardless of the river ecological status
A broad survey of freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates across multiple rivers found that microplastic accumulation was widespread regardless of local urban development levels, suggesting that factors beyond proximity to urban areas—such as river hydrology and upstream sources—drive MP exposure in freshwater invertebrates.
Microplastics in freshwaters: Comparing effects of particle properties and an invertebrate consumer on microbial communities and ecosystem functions
Researchers tested how different microplastic properties, including concentration, shape, and polymer type, affect microbial communities and ecosystem functions in freshwater environments. They found that the presence of an invertebrate consumer had a stronger influence on microbial activity than the microplastics themselves, though high concentrations of certain particle shapes did alter community composition. The study suggests that the ecological effects of microplastics in freshwater depend heavily on the broader biological context.
Footprint of the plastisphere on freshwater zooplankton
Researchers studied zooplankton functional groups in a temperate floodplain lake and the Drava River in Croatia, examining how the 'plastisphere' (microplastics as substrate for microbial communities) compares with natural substrates as a food source. They found the plastisphere supported a less mature microbial community than epilithon and epixylon substrates, with zooplankton species diversity and biomass higher in the stable lake than in the river.
Microplastic abundance, distribution, and diversity in water and sediments along a subtropical river system
Researchers investigated microplastic abundance in water and sediments along a subtropical river system in South Africa, finding widespread contamination with fibers as the dominant shape and polyethylene as the most common polymer type.
High macroplastic pollution in a subtropical urban lake affects macroinvertebrate community structure
Researchers examined the effects of high macroplastic pollution in a subtropical urban lake on macroinvertebrate communities, finding that plastic debris significantly altered benthic assemblages and reduced biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems that have received less ecological attention than marine environments.
Differential effects of microplastic exposure on leaf shredding rates of invasive and native amphipod crustaceans
Researchers tested how microplastic exposure affected leaf-eating crustaceans in freshwater, finding that at high concentrations, native species ate significantly less while an invasive species was unaffected. This raises concern that microplastic pollution could give invasive species a competitive edge while disrupting the nutrient recycling work of native invertebrates in rivers and streams.
Microplastics in freshwater environment: the first evaluation in sediment of the Vaal River, South Africa
Researchers conducted the first assessment of microplastic pollution in the Vaal River, South Africa, finding microplastics in 100% of sediment samples at an average of 463 particles per kilogram, with polyethylene and polypropylene as the dominant polymer types.
Trashy treasures? The increasing terrestrial invertebrate diversity in small-scale dumps
Researchers surveyed terrestrial invertebrate diversity in small-scale plastic debris accumulations, finding that some invertebrate groups colonize and use plastic litter as habitat, creating complex interactions between pollution and biodiversity.
Attached Macroinvertebrates Inhabiting Marine Plastic Debris from the Beach and Port Areas of the Southern Sea of Korea
Researchers found that marine plastic debris collected from Korean beaches and ports hosts dozens of macroinvertebrate species, with fishing and aquaculture plastics supporting more species than land-origin packaging plastics, suggesting longer sea exposure and rougher material texture promote greater organism colonization.
Nutrient enrichment mediates the effect of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on macroinvertebrate communities
A semi-natural mesocosm experiment compared the effects of biodegradable PLA microplastics and conventional HDPE microplastics on freshwater macroinvertebrate communities, finding that overall community effects were weak but that HDPE reduced invertebrate diversity more than PLA — except when nutrient enrichment was present, which erased this difference. The findings suggest that nutrient pollution interacts with microplastic type in complex ways, and that assessments of bioplastics as \"safer\" alternatives need to account for real-world co-stressors. More large-scale, long-term experiments are needed before drawing firm conclusions.