Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Short-term and long-term effects of microplastics and organic UV-filters on the invertebrate model species Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to polystyrene microplastics, a mixture of UV-filter chemicals found in sunscreens, or both over 21 days. The microplastics alone reduced body size and reproduction, while combined exposure with UV-filters further impaired swimming behavior and offspring production. The study highlights that microplastics and common personal care product chemicals can interact to create compounding negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of perfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics on the sentinel species Daphnia magna: Implications for freshwater ecosystems

This study tested how PFAS chemicals (common industrial pollutants) and PET microplastics affect water fleas, both alone and together. The combination caused worse developmental and reproductive problems than either pollutant alone, and organisms with prior chemical exposure history responded differently, showing that microplastics can amplify the harm of other environmental contaminants in ways that are difficult to predict.

2024 Environmental Pollution 37 citations
Article Tier 2

First insight of the intergenerational effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene microplastics to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and the flame retardant tributyl phosphate on water fleas across multiple generations. They found that co-exposure caused more severe impacts on survival, growth, and reproduction than either contaminant alone, with effects persisting into subsequent generations. The study suggests that microplastics carrying adsorbed chemicals may pose compounding risks to aquatic organisms over time.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Toxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Pyriproxyfen to Daphnia magna

Researchers evaluated the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and the insecticide pyriproxyfen on the water flea Daphnia magna under both acute and chronic exposure conditions. They found that nanoplastics initially reduced the acute toxicity of the pesticide within 24 hours but worsened chronic effects over longer periods. The study suggests that nanoplastics can alter how other environmental contaminants affect aquatic organisms, complicating risk assessments.

2024 Sustainability 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the combined toxic effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics on Daphnia magna under environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers explored the combined toxic effects of the flame retardant tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that co-exposure to both pollutants altered gene expression related to stress responses, suggesting that the combined presence of these emerging contaminants may pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term adverse effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna reproduction and population growth rate at increased water temperature and light intensity: Combined effects of stressors and interactions

Researchers investigated how increased water temperature and light intensity affect the long-term toxicity of microplastics to the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastics caused mortality, reduced growth, and decreased reproduction across all conditions, but these effects were significantly worsened by both higher temperature and brighter light. The study suggests that climate change factors may synergistically amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on freshwater zooplankton.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and carbamazepine induced transgenerational effects on the reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers found that combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and carbamazepine caused enhanced transgenerational reproductive toxicity in Daphnia magna across two generations, with mixture effects significantly worse than individual exposures.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics increase the toxicity of a pharmaceutical, at environmentally relevant concentrations – A mixture design with Daphnia magna

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly increased the toxicity of the pharmaceutical diphenhydramine to Daphnia magna water fleas at environmentally relevant concentrations. The combination caused oxidative damage that was not observed when organisms were exposed to either substance alone, indicating a synergistic interaction. The study highlights that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and pharmaceutical pollutants in water may create compounding risks for aquatic organisms.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and pesticides on Daphnia

Researchers investigated the combined and individual impacts of microplastics and pesticides on Daphnia magna, a model crustacean widely used in freshwater ecotoxicology, to assess how these co-occurring pollutants affect aquatic ecosystem health. The study examined survival, reproduction, and physiological responses in D. magna exposed to varying concentrations of both stressors under controlled conditions.

2025 Fisher Digital Publications (St. John Fisher College)
Article Tier 2

The synergistic effect of mono and co-exposure of microplastic suspensions on Daphnia magna’s survival, population density, reproduction rate & swimming behavior.

When water fleas (Daphnia magna) were exposed to mixtures of HDPE, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics together, the combined toxicity was substantially greater than any single polymer alone, with the mixture LC50 dropping to 77 mg/L compared to 109–123 mg/L for individual plastics. This synergistic effect — reducing survival, reproduction, and normal swimming behavior — is an important finding because organisms in nature encounter mixtures of plastic types, not just one at a time.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhance the toxicity and phototoxicity of UV filter avobenzone on Daphnia magna

Polystyrene microplastics (200 nm) were found to enhance the toxicity and phototoxicity of the UV filter avobenzone to aquatic organisms, with the combination causing greater harm than either pollutant alone. The results raise regulatory concern about co-occurring microplastic and UV filter pollution in sunscreen-impacted coastal waters.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sentinel freshwater models, Daphnia, Zebrafish and unicellular green algae: A systemic review

Researchers reviewed 68 studies on how microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals") affect freshwater organisms like Daphnia, zebrafish, and algae, finding that both contaminants are more toxic at chronic low doses than in short-term exposures, and that combining them tends to amplify harm — while noting almost no research has studied them together.

2025 Environmental Pollution and Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic toxic mechanisms of microplastics and triclosan via multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) inhibition–mediated autophagy in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to microplastics and triclosan, a common antimicrobial chemical, and found that the combination was more toxic than either pollutant alone. Microplastics interfered with the organisms' natural defense system for expelling foreign chemicals, allowing triclosan to accumulate and trigger harmful autophagy. This suggests that microplastics may amplify the toxicity of other environmental contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined impacts of organophosphate pesticide and polyamide microplastics on growth, hematology, and immune responses in juvenile striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)

Researchers exposed juvenile striped catfish to both polyamide microplastics and an organophosphate pesticide, finding that the combination caused more severe growth reduction, immune suppression, and organ damage than either pollutant alone — evidence that microplastics and pesticides can act together to amplify harm in freshwater fish.

2025 Emerging contaminants 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the toxicological effects of emerging contaminants on Daphnia similis associating polyethylene microplastics with the agrochemical imidacloprid.

Brazilian researchers tested the ecotoxicological effects of combining polyethylene microplastics with the insecticide imidacloprid on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia, finding combined exposures were more toxic than either pollutant alone. These results suggest that microplastics and pesticides together pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than studies of single pollutants indicate.

2023 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics on atrazine in zebrafish: Exogenous toxicity and endogenous mechanism

Researchers found that combining polystyrene microplastics with the common herbicide atrazine was more toxic to zebrafish than either pollutant alone, causing greater liver and gut damage. The combination also degraded water quality by reducing oxygen levels and increasing harmful nitrogen compounds. This is important because microplastics and pesticides frequently co-exist in the environment, meaning their combined effects on aquatic life and food safety may be worse than studies of individual pollutants suggest.

2025 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone affects Daphnia magna depending on the developmental stage

Researchers examined the combined effects of microplastic exposure and the naturally occurring chemical 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on Daphnia magna, investigating how plastic particles interact with an invasive species-linked chemical stressor in freshwater. Co-exposure produced different effects than either stressor alone, illustrating how microplastics complicate toxicity in multi-stressor freshwater environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone affects Daphnia magna depending on the developmental stage

Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastics and the plant-derived compound 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on Daphnia magna, which represents a freshwater ecosystem stress scenario. Co-exposure produced effects that differed from either stressor alone, highlighting the importance of studying pollutant mixtures.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The synergistic effects of UV-328 and polystyrene microplastics on zebrafish embryos: developmental toxicity, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the UV stabilizer UV-328 on zebrafish embryos and found that the two pollutants acted synergistically to cause developmental abnormalities. The combination induced greater oxidative stress and neurotoxic effects than either substance alone, disrupting embryo hatching rates and development. The findings suggest that microplastics and UV stabilizers together may pose amplified risks to aquatic organisms compared to individual exposures.

2026 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Intergenerational and biological effects of roxithromycin and polystyrene microplastics to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied the intergenerational effects of the antibiotic roxithromycin combined with polystyrene microplastics on water fleas (Daphnia magna) across multiple generations. They found that UV-aged microplastics altered the carrier effects on the antibiotic compared to pristine particles, changing survival and reproductive outcomes. The study suggests that the aging and weathering state of microplastics in the environment influences how they interact with pharmaceutical pollutants and their combined toxicity.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 40 citations
Article Tier 2

The single and combined effects of mercury and polystyrene plastic beads on antioxidant-related systems in the brackish water flea: toxicological interaction depending on mercury species and plastic bead size.

Exposure of small crustaceans to mixtures of mercury and polystyrene plastic beads showed complex toxicological interactions — the effects depended on both the size of the plastic beads and the chemical form of mercury. The findings highlight that the real-world health risks of plastic pollution cannot be understood in isolation from the other chemicals that co-occur with plastics in aquatic environments.

2022 Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Article Tier 2

Short- and long-term single and combined effects of microplastics and chromium on the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of microplastics and chromium on the water flea Daphnia magna in both short- and long-term experiments. They found that microplastics interacted with chromium, reducing its concentration in water, and that co-exposure caused acute toxicity but lacked the chronic effects seen with chromium alone. The study suggests that microplastics may alter the bioavailability and toxicity of metal pollutants in freshwater environments.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 44 citations