Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

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

Feeding Ecology and Microplastic Contamination of Planktophagous Fishes in a tropical Southwestern Atlantic Estuarine Ecosystem

Feeding ecology and microplastic contamination of two planktophagous fish species (A. clupeoides and C. edentulus) were studied in a tropical Brazilian estuary, finding both species ingested microplastics—with contamination rates varying by season, body size, and estuarine position, reflecting their copepod-dominated diets.

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

Study of feeding biology and diet-associated microplastic contamination in selected creek fishes of northeastern Arabian Sea: A multi-species approach

Researchers studied the feeding biology and diet-associated microplastic contamination of selected fish species, finding that feeding habits directly influence the quantity and type of microplastics ingested. The results demonstrate that trophic position and prey preferences are key predictors of microplastic exposure in wild fish.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 11 citations
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

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

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

Variability of prey preferences and uptake of anthropogenic particles by juvenile white seabream in a coastal lagoon nursery ground

Researchers examined prey preferences and anthropogenic particle uptake in juvenile white seabream using a coastal lagoon nursery ground, finding that these early life history stages in transitional marine ecosystems are exposed to marine plastic litter of land-based origin alongside natural prey.

2023 Environmental Biology of Fishes 3 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

Low level of microplastic contamination in wild fish from an urban estuary

Researchers found low levels of microplastic contamination in 26 wild fish species from the Pearl River Estuary, South China, with abundance and polymer composition varying by species feeding strategy and habitat depth, suggesting that estuarine fish exposure depends substantially on ecological niche.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 63 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

Diet characteristics of tidal creek-associated fishes of the northeastern Arabian Sea with special reference to microplastic ingestion

Researchers characterized the diet of fishes associated with tidal creeks in the northeastern Arabian Sea, finding evidence of microplastic ingestion mixed with natural prey items, reflecting environmental plastic contamination in this coastal fishing area.

2024 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Does microplastic ingestion by zooplankton affect predator-prey interactions? An experimental study on larviphagy

Filter feeders consumed significantly fewer zooplankton prey that had ingested microplastics compared to uncontaminated prey, suggesting that microplastic ingestion makes zooplankton less appealing or nutritious. This effect on predation could have cascading consequences for marine food webs.

2019 Environmental Pollution 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on juveniles of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps): Confusion with prey, reduction of the predatory performance and efficiency, and possible influence of developmental conditions

Researchers tested whether juvenile common goby fish ingest microplastics and whether their presence affects predatory performance. The study found that fish confused microplastics with prey, and that microplastic presence reduced predatory efficiency, with developmental conditions in different estuaries also influencing the fish's ability to distinguish between food and plastic particles.

2014 Environmental Pollution 540 citations
Article Tier 2

Are fishes selecting the trash they eat? Influence of feeding mode and habitat on microplastic uptake in an artificial reef complex (ARC)

A study of 216 fish from 18 species at artificial reef complexes found that 60% had microplastics in at least one organ, with an average concentration of 1.55 MPs per gram. Notably, certain species selectively ingested particular microplastic types, colors, and polymer compositions, suggesting active (if unintentional) selection rather than random uptake. This is the first evidence of microplastic selectivity in commercially important fish near artificial marine structures, with direct relevance for seafood safety and fisheries management.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Feeding Habits and the Occurrence of Anthropogenic Debris in the Stomach Content of Marine Fish from Pattani Bay, Gulf of Thailand

Researchers found anthropogenic debris in the stomachs of 12 of 34 marine fish species from the Gulf of Thailand, with planktivorous fish ingesting the most debris and blue-colored items predominating, with ingestion rates peaking during the northeast monsoon season.

2022 Biology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing Microplastic Contamination in Zooplanktonic Organisms from Two River Estuaries

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in zooplankton sampled from two river estuaries, finding microplastics in a significant proportion of individual organisms from both sites. Fibre shapes dominated ingested plastics, and contamination levels were higher in the more urbanized estuary, indicating that land-based pollution inputs drive microplastic exposure in estuarine zooplankton.

2024 Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and tire wear particle occurrence in fishes from an urban estuary: Influence of feeding characteristics on exposure risk

Researchers surveyed microplastics in the digestive tracts of five fish species from an urban estuary and found plastic particles in 99% of specimens, averaging 27 particles per fish. Atlantic Menhaden had the highest contamination relative to body weight, likely due to their habit of ingesting marine snow aggregates. The study also found suspected tire wear particles in 14% of individual fish, providing the first evidence of tire particle consumption in field-collected organisms.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 123 citations
Article Tier 2

Decreased growth and survival in small juvenile fish, after chronic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastic

Researchers exposed juvenile glassfish to environmentally realistic concentrations of both virgin and harbor-collected microplastics for 95 days, finding that fish in plastic-fed groups grew significantly less in length, depth, and mass, and had lower survival probability than controls.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 189 citations
Article Tier 2

The influences of spatial-temporal variability and ecological drivers on microplastic in marine fish in Hong Kong

Researchers found that over 57% of marine fish in Hong Kong waters contained microplastics, with higher abundance in fish from more polluted western waters during the wet season, and that omnivorous fish ingested significantly more microplastics than carnivorous fish regardless of collection location or season.

2023 Environmental Pollution 10 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 commercial fish from a natural estuarine environment

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of commercial fish caught from a natural estuarine environment and found microplastics in a significant proportion of individuals, documenting both occurrence rates and particle characteristics.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 586 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