Papers

61,005 results
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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

Does the trophic guild influence microplastic ingestion in nursery areas? A case study on a southwestern Atlantic mangrove-dominated estuary

Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in ten fish species from a mangrove-dominated estuary in Brazil's Tropical Atlantic, finding plastics in 61% of 145 specimens. Zooplanktivorous species ingested the most (averaging 2.33 MPs per individual), with polystyrene and polypropylene dominating.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Do feeding habits influence anthropogenic particle consumption in demersal fish in a tropical estuary? A study from the northern part of the Tropical Eastern Pacific

This study examined how feeding habits and trophic level influence microplastic ingestion in demersal fish from a tropical Mexican estuary, finding that feeding guild and trophic position both affected the type and quantity of anthropogenic particles consumed.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science
Article Tier 2

Distribution patterns of microplastics within the plankton of a tropical estuary

Microplastics were found throughout a tropical Brazilian estuary across different seasons and zones, with densities roughly half those of fish larvae and comparable to fish egg densities. The results raise the possibility that microplastics compete with or are mistaken for natural food items by larval fish in this ecologically critical nursery habitat.

2014 Environmental Research 437 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in the food selectivity of zooplanktivorous fishes related to the effects of nutrient enrichment in an urban tropical estuary

Researchers studied juvenile fish diets in an urban tropical estuary and found that nutrient enrichment from eutrophication shifted prey availability and fish feeding strategies, while all fish species examined contained microplastic particles and showed selective ingestion of them alongside their natural zooplankton prey.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Microplastics contamination in fish, water, and sediment surrounding Ubatuba beaches, Southeastern Brazil

Simultaneous analysis of microplastic contamination in fish (Atherinella brasiliensis), water, and sediment at three Ubatuba beaches in Brazil captured spatial and seasonal variations across exposed, calm, and sheltered estuary environments. The integrated approach confirmed fish ingestion of microplastics and revealed correlations between environmental presence and biotic uptake across seasons.

2024 Neotropical Ichthyology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of estuarine resources by top predator fishes. How do ecological patterns affect rates of contamination by microplastics?

Researchers found that over 50% of snooks (Centropomus undecimalis and C. mexicanus) across all life stages in a tropical estuary had ingested microplastics, with contamination rates linked to seasonal shifts in habitat use and feeding ecology between estuarine and marine environments.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of resources and microplastic contamination throughout the life cycle of grunts (Haemulidae) in a tropical estuary

Juvenile grunt fish (Haemulidae) in a Brazilian tropical estuary were found to contain microplastics during their early life stages in the estuary, with contamination patterns linked to their feeding habits and habitat use. Estuaries serve as critical nursery habitats for many commercial fish species, making early-life microplastic exposure especially concerning.

2018 Environmental Pollution 40 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

Zooplankton exposure to microplastic contamination in a estuarine plume-influenced region, in Northeast Brazil

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in estuarine plume waters off the coast of northeastern Brazil and its relationship with zooplankton. The study found significantly higher microplastic abundance during the high rainfall season, with fibers and fragments being the dominant types, and elevated concentrations in river plume areas compared to reef-adjacent waters, indicating land-based sources as major contributors.

2023 Environmental Pollution 18 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

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

High intake rates of microplastics in a Western Atlantic predatory fish, and insights of a direct fishery effect

Researchers found microplastics in over half of the weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa) sampled from a tropical Brazilian estuary, with ingestion dominated by short filaments in the lower estuary and longer, less-weathered filaments in the upper estuary near river inputs. Adult fish accumulated the most plastic, particularly blue filaments consistent with fishing gear, with ingestion increasing during the late rainy season when fishing activity was highest.

2018 Environmental Pollution 156 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of plastic debris by commercially important marine fish in southeast-south Brazil

Scientists visually examined 965 specimens of eight commercially exploited fish species off the southeast-south coast of Brazil for plastic debris ingestion, finding plastic in multiple species across different marine habitats.

2020 Environmental Pollution 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic intake does not depend on fish eating habits: Identification of microplastics in the stomach contents of fish on an urban beach in Brazil

Researchers analyzed microplastic content in the stomachs of seven fish species from an urban beach in Brazil and found that trophic guild (carnivore, omnivore, herbivore) did not predict microplastic ingestion rates, suggesting that incidental ingestion during feeding is widespread regardless of diet type.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in demersal and pelagic fish from two differently anthropized bays on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in demersal and pelagic fish from two bays with differing levels of human impact on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study compared microplastic occurrence across fish species and sampling sites to assess how anthropisation influences microplastic exposure in coastal fish populations.

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

Ingestion of microplastic by ontogenetic phases of Stellifer brasiliensis (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) from the surf zone of tropical beaches

Microplastics were found in 9.5% of Stellifer brasiliensis fish from tropical Brazilian beaches, with ingestion occurring across juvenile, subadult, and adult life stages. The study indicates that microplastics are entering the food chain through commercial fish species in nearshore tropical ecosystems.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of contamination due to ingestion of microplastics on commercial fish in relation to their trophic habits

Researchers evaluated the ingestion of microplastics by 28 Sciaenidae and 12 Ariidae fish species from estuaries in Tumaco and Buenaventura Bay, Colombia, examining stomach contents of 1,652 specimens across high and low precipitation seasons in 2020-2021 and analyzing how trophic level and other biological characteristics influence microplastic uptake.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in an Urbanized Estuary on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin: Analysis of Contamination in Commercially Intent Fish, Water and Sediment in the Anil River

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in fish, water, and sediment samples from the Anil River estuary on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, focusing on commercially important fish species in an urbanized estuarine environment.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
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

Dynamics of Marine Debris Ingestion by Profitable Fishes Along The Estuarine Ecocline

Researchers found that snook fish in Brazilian estuaries accumulate microfilaments (tiny plastic threads under 5 mm) throughout their lives, with adults ingesting the most — especially during rainy season when fishing activity peaks. The color and size of ingested microfilaments matched local pollution sources, suggesting both direct consumption and trophic transfer (eating contaminated prey) are key pathways.

2019 Scientific Reports 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Extensive Microplastic Contamination in Southeastern Florida Forage Fishes

Forage fish from four coastal sites in southeastern Florida contained high levels of microplastics, with contamination levels comparable to or exceeding those in larger predatory species, highlighting the importance of lower trophic levels as vectors for plastic in marine food webs.

2024 Caribbean Journal of Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic debris contamination in the life cycle of Acoupa weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa) in a tropical estuary

Researchers studied plastic debris in Acoupa weakfish across different life stages, seasons, and habitat zones in a tropical estuary and found plastic contamination at all stages and locations. The study demonstrates that plastic pollution affects both juveniles and adults of this commercially important fish and is tied to the human impact on the estuary.

2016 ICES Journal of Marine Science 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic in the digestive tract of fish species in the vicinity of the Itaqui Port Complex, São Luís – MA

Researchers evaluated microplastic content in the digestive tracts of fish species collected in the vicinity of the Itaqui Port Complex in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. The study characterised microplastic presence and quantity in fish from a commercially and industrially active coastal area, contributing to the understanding of microplastic contamination in South American estuarine fish communities.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)