Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The interplay between host-specificity and habitat-filtering influences sea cucumber microbiota across an environmental gradient of pollution

Researchers examined how environmental pollution gradients influence intra-specific variation in microbiota diversity and structure across skin, gut, sediment, and water communities associated with sea cucumbers. They found that both host-specificity and habitat-filtering interact to shape microbial communities along pollution gradients, with animal-associated microbiota showing distinct patterns compared to environmental communities.

2024
Article Tier 2

Evidence for strong environmental control on bacterial microbiomes of Antarctic springtails

Researchers studied the bacterial communities living inside four species of Antarctic springtails (tiny soil insects) and found that geography — where the springtails lived — was a stronger influence on their gut microbiome than which species they were. This finding helps explain how extreme environments shape the microbial ecosystems inside animals, including those exposed to microplastic contamination.

2021 Scientific Reports 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variations in microbial diversity and metabolite profiles of the gut of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus)

Researchers used 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolite profiling to examine how seasonal changes affect the gut microbiome composition and intestinal metabolites of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) in China. They found that symbiotic microbial communities and their metabolic outputs shifted significantly across seasons, reflecting the influence of changing external environments on this economically important aquaculture species.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 11 citations
Article Tier 2

An Analysis of Microplastics Ingested by the Mediterranean Detritivore Holothuria tubulosa (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) Sheds Light on Patterns of Contaminant Distribution in Different Marine Areas

Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion by the Mediterranean sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa across different marine areas, revealing spatial patterns of contamination that reflect local pollution levels and the species' potential as a bioindicator.

2023 Water 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The Structure and Function of Gut Microbiomes of Two Species of Sea Urchins, Mesocentrotus nudus and Strongylocentrotus intermedius, in Japan

This study characterized the gut microbiomes of two sea urchin species important to Japanese marine aquaculture using metagenomic methods, revealing distinct microbial communities linked to habitat and growth conditions. Understanding the microbiome of aquaculture organisms is relevant to their health and food safety, particularly given that environmental contaminants including microplastics can alter gut microbiota.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and intestinal microbiota responses of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus to various stress and signatures of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis

Scientists tested how six common aquaculture stressors, including high temperature, low salinity, ammonia, and overcrowding, affect the gut health and microbial communities of sea cucumbers. All stressors reduced growth and digestive function while shifting the balance of gut bacteria, with potentially harmful bacteria increasing under several conditions. The study identified specific microbial ratio changes as signatures of gut disturbance, which could be useful markers for monitoring sea cucumber health in aquaculture.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Temporal stability and assembly mechanisms of gut microbiota in sea cucumbers response to nanoplastics treatment

Researchers studied how nanoplastic ingestion affects the gut microbiota of sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus), an important aquaculture species. The study found that exposure to nanoplastics at concentrations of 100 and 500 mg/kg caused significant changes in gut microbial community composition after 21 days, suggesting potential impacts on the health of farmed marine organisms.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Blood and cloacal microbiome profile of captive green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata): Water quality and conservation implications

Researchers analyzed the gut and blood microbiomes of captive green and hawksbill sea turtles and found that environmental factors — including microplastic polymer exposure and heavy metals — significantly shaped microbial community composition and correlated with blood health markers, underscoring the role of water quality in sea turtle conservation.

2025 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Diet shapes cold‐water corals bacterial communities

Researchers found that diet significantly shapes the bacterial communities living in cold-water corals, with carnivorous and herbivorous diets producing distinct microbiomes. The study sheds light on the ecological factors driving microbial diversity in deep-sea coral ecosystems.

2019 Environmental Microbiology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics exposure simplifies the network structure of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) gut microbiota and improves cluster randomness

Researchers exposed sea cucumbers to nanoplastics and found that the particles significantly reduced the diversity and stability of their gut bacteria, shifting the microbial community toward potentially harmful species. The good news is that after 35 days in clean water, the gut microbiome largely recovered to its pre-exposure state. The study reveals that while nanoplastic exposure disrupts the gut health of marine animals, some recovery is possible once the exposure stops.

2024 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavioral and Physiological Requirements for Artificial Shelters in Juvenile Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus

Not relevant to microplastics — this study investigates why some juvenile sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus) prefer artificial shelters while others do not, finding that shelter-seeking individuals have higher digestive demands and different gut microbiota compositions.

2026 Biology
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in sea cucumbers under different anthropogenic influences in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)

Researchers examined sea cucumbers from the Persian Gulf for both microplastics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, finding both types of contamination present. The results suggest that microplastics in marine environments may act as surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria accumulate and spread.

2021 Marine Biology Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal dynamics of the microbiome-host response to pharmaceuticals and pesticides in Mytilus galloprovincialis farmed in the Northwestern Adriatic Sea

Researchers studied how Mediterranean mussels farmed in the Adriatic Sea respond to pharmaceutical and pesticide pollution across different seasons, examining both the animals' biology and their associated microbiomes. They found that the mussel microbiome plays a significant role in the organisms' response to environmental contaminants, with seasonal variation influencing both pollutant exposure and microbial community composition. The study highlights that understanding microbiome-host interactions is important for assessing how marine organisms cope with chemical pollution.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastics isolated from sea cucumber Acaudina molpadioides in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia

Researchers examined sea cucumbers from Langkawi, Malaysia and found over 1,600 microplastic particles in their digestive tracts, with fibers making up more than 99% of the contamination. The most common polymer types identified were polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate, with the majority of particles falling in the smallest size ranges. The findings raise concerns about potential human exposure to microplastics through seafood consumption.

2023 Heliyon 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Differences in gut microbial diversity and composition between growth phenotypes of farmed juvenile sandfish, Holothuria scabra

Researchers analyzed the gut bacteria of farmed sandfish sea cucumbers to understand why individuals from the same batch grow at different rates. They found that fast-growing and slow-growing animals had distinct gut microbial communities with different predicted metabolic functions. The study also cautioned that fecal samples do not accurately represent the gut microbiome, which is important for future aquaculture research methods.

2025 BMC Microbiology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollution characteristics of microplastics in the wild tropical sea cucumber Holothuria atra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) and its habitat at different seasons

Researchers investigated seasonal variations in microplastic pollution in the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria atra and its surrounding habitat, characterizing the temporal dynamics of MP contamination in both the organism and the sediment and water environments across different seasons.

2025 Marine Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Insights into the Gut Microbiota of the Freshwater Crab Sinopotamon planum across Three Seasons and Its Associations with the Surrounding Aquatic Microbiota

Researchers characterized the gut microbiota of freshwater crab Sinopotamon planum across three seasons, finding seasonal shifts in microbial community composition that correlated with changes in surrounding aquatic microbiota and environmental conditions.

2023 Diversity 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of host phylogeny and water physicochemistry on microbial assemblages of the fish skin microbiome

Researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of nearly 2,000 fish skin microbiome samples across 98 species to understand what factors shape microbial communities on fish surfaces. They found that host evolutionary history and water chemistry, particularly salinity and temperature, were the strongest predictors of skin microbiome composition. The study provides a broad framework for understanding how environmental stressors, including pollutants, may disrupt the beneficial microbial communities on fish.

2024 FEMS Microbiology Ecology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential harmful impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on the health of a tropical sea cucumber, Holothuria leucospilota, evidenced by changes of gut microflora, histology, immune and oxidative indexes

Scientists exposed tropical sea cucumbers to both nano-sized and micro-sized plastic particles and found that both caused gut damage, altered the gut microbiome, triggered oxidative stress, and disrupted immune function. Notably, the smaller nanoplastics had stronger effects than the larger microplastics, and plastic particles were observed accumulating in the gut tissue.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus and their association with gut microbiota dysbiosis

Researchers used multiple advanced techniques to study how polystyrene nanoplastics affect sea cucumbers, an important aquaculture species. They found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted the animals' gut microbiome, triggered inflammation, and impaired immune function. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in aquaculture environments could harm the health of commercially farmed marine species.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

The gut microbial of sea urchin ( Strongylocentrotus intermedius ) under different temperatures: Microbial structure and co-occurrence patterns

Researchers exposed sea urchins to five temperatures ranging from 13 to 25°C and used high-throughput sequencing to show that elevated temperatures increase gut bacterial diversity, shift dominant genera, alter key metabolic pathways, and strengthen deterministic assembly processes, providing mechanistic insight into how warming reshapes invertebrate gut microbiomes.

2026 Israeli Journal of Aquaculture - Bamidgeh
Article Tier 2

The density of microplastic in sea cucumber (Holothuria sp.) and sediment at Tidung Besar and Bira Besar island, Jakarta

Sea cucumbers from Jakarta's Tidung Besar and Bira Besar islands were found to contain microplastics in their tissues, with concentrations correlated to levels in surrounding sediments. Because sea cucumbers ingest sediment while feeding, they accumulate microplastics in proportion to local environmental contamination.

2020 Journal of Physics Conference Series 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota composition of the isopod Ligia in South Korea exposed to expanded polystyrene pollution

Coastal isopods (Ligia) collected from a plastic-polluted site in South Korea showed measurably different gut microbiome compositions compared to those from a clean site, with lower species richness in polluted areas. This suggests that microplastic contamination can reshape the internal microbial communities of small invertebrates, potentially affecting their health and their role in coastal food webs.

2024 PLoS ONE 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Latitudinal Diversity Gradients (LDGs) and macroalgal microbiomes: A chimera of biotic and abiotic effects?

This commentary discusses a study examining how the microbiomes of the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus vary across latitude on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, finding that geography and temperature influence microbial community composition more than host genetic factors. Understanding how environmental gradients shape marine microbiomes is relevant to assessing how pollution stressors like microplastics may alter these communities.

2021 Journal of Phycology 3 citations