Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics exposure in European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis: Evaluation of accumulation and depuration under controlled conditions and molecular assessment of a set of reference genes

Researchers assessed microplastic exposure, accumulation, and depuration in European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis), a species of conservation and aquaculture interest. Oysters accumulated microplastics efficiently and required extended depuration periods to substantially reduce body burdens, with implications for food safety.

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

Realistic Environmental Exposure of Microplastics in European Flat Oyster, Ostrea edulis: Evaluation of Accumulation and Depuration Under Controlled Conditions and Molecular Assessment of a Set of Reference Genes

Researchers exposed European flat oysters to microplastics under environmentally realistic conditions and measured their ability to accumulate and then purge the particles. They found that oysters accumulated an average of about 5 microplastic particles per gram, predominantly filaments, but a two-day depuration period reduced contamination by over 90%. The study also identified stable reference genes for molecular stress monitoring, supporting the development of standardized tools for tracking microplastic impacts on marine bivalves.

2025 Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on European flat oysters, Ostrea edulis and their associated benthic communities

Researchers assessed the effects of microplastics on European flat oysters and their associated benthic communities in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that microplastic exposure affected oyster health and biological functioning, and also altered the structure of surrounding macrofaunal assemblages, demonstrating that microplastic pollution can have community-level ecological impacts.

2016 Environmental Pollution 389 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata: Novel insights in a marine ecosystem

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata collected from five coastal sites. They found microplastics present in all oyster specimens, with fibers and fragments being the most common types detected. The study highlights how filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate microplastics from surrounding waters, raising concerns about contamination in marine food chains.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation and Depuration of Microplastics by Oysters Upon the Laboratory Conditions

Researchers monitored microplastic accumulation and elimination in oysters over 30 days, finding that the digestive tract accumulated the highest concentrations (bioaccumulation factors increasing from ~10 to ~41 over 10 days), and that most particles were eliminated within 30 days of depuration.

2025 Environmental Quality Management
Article Tier 2

Microplastic retention in European flat oyster Ostrea edulis cultured in two Mediterranean basins

Researchers measured microplastic accumulation in two life stages of farmed European flat oysters from the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Mediterranean basins. Tyrrhenian oysters showed higher contamination than Adriatic ones—reflecting regional industrialization—and the 50-150 µm size class dominated, coinciding with the dietary plankton size range.

2025 npj Emerging Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of exposure to microplastics with environmentally relevant shapes and concentrations: Accumulation, energy metabolism and tissue damage in oyster Crassostrea gigas

Researchers exposed oysters to irregularly shaped polyethylene and PET microplastics at two concentrations for 21 days and measured accumulation, energy metabolism, and tissue damage. They found that the microplastics accumulated in oyster tissues, disrupted energy metabolism, and caused histological damage, with effects varying by polymer type and concentration. The study suggests that environmentally realistic microplastic shapes and concentrations can cause measurable harm to commercially important shellfish species.

2020 Environmental Pollution 213 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonality influences microplastic occurrence in cultured European flat oyster

Researchers monitored microplastic occurrence in cultured European flat oysters across seasons, finding that seasonal variation in water quality and phytoplankton abundance influenced microplastic uptake. Oyster contamination levels fluctuated significantly by season, with implications for food safety monitoring.

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

Do Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Microplastics Pose a Threat to the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica?

This study exposed eastern oysters to polyester microfibers at environmentally realistic concentrations for 45 days, finding that even low doses affected their physiology including feeding, growth, and energy use. The results suggest that ecologically relevant microplastic levels may pose a threat to commercially important filter-feeding shellfish.

2022
Article Tier 2

Effects of aged microplastics on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta

Researchers studied how aged microplastics affect the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta. The study found that microplastics can serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes in filter-feeding organisms, potentially exacerbating the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture environments where plastic contamination is widespread.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonality influences microplastic occurrence in cultured European flat oyster

This study examined how seasonal variation influences microplastic accumulation in European flat oysters raised in aquaculture, recognizing that oysters filter large volumes of seawater and concentrate contaminants. Microplastic loads in oysters varied across seasons, linked to changes in water column particle dynamics and agricultural runoff patterns.

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

An overview of microplastics in oysters: Analysis, hazards, and depuration

This review summarized microplastic analysis methods, hazards, and depuration strategies in oysters, highlighting that microplastics serve as carriers for contaminants and that depuration periods can significantly reduce microplastic loads in oyster tissues.

2023 Food Chemistry 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Affect the Ecological Functioning of an Important Biogenic Habitat

Researchers tested how microplastics affect the ecological functioning of oyster and mussel habitats in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that both biodegradable and conventional microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations can alter filtration rates and nutrient cycling in these important biogenic habitats, suggesting broader ecosystem-level impacts.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 259 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the European native oyster, Ostrea edulis, to monitoring pollution-related patterns in the Solent region (United Kingdom)

This is the first study to examine microplastic contamination in the European flat oyster, finding microplastics present in every oyster sampled from the Solent region in southern England. Researchers detected particles in both gill and digestive tissues, with fibers being the most common type. The study raises concerns about shellfish as a pathway for human microplastic exposure, since oysters are commonly consumed as whole organisms.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Vibrio vulnificus and Microcystis aeruginosa co-exposures on microplastic accumulation and depuration in the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Researchers studied how exposure to harmful bacteria, including Vibrio and Microcystis species, affects the ability of Eastern oysters to accumulate and clear out microplastics. They found that bacterial co-exposure reduced the oysters' filtration rates, causing them to retain more microplastics for longer periods. The study suggests that climate-driven increases in harmful bacteria could worsen the microplastic burden in commercially important shellfish.

2024 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the hidden impacts: A comprehensive review of microplastic effects on marine bivalves

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics accumulate in marine bivalves through their filter-feeding behavior, covering mechanisms of ingestion, bioaccumulation, oxidative stress induction, immune disruption, and growth inhibition, with implications for food safety given widespread human consumption of bivalves.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Oyster as sentinels of recent microplastic contamination: Insights from a transplant experiment

Researchers used oyster transplantation experiments to study how microplastics accumulate and are excreted in sentinel organisms under field-realistic conditions. The study found that bivalves can serve as effective biomonitors of recent microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems. The findings help fill knowledge gaps about the dynamics of microplastic uptake and clearance in marine filter feeders.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis to Microplastics: Accumulation, Depuration and Evaluation of the Expression Levels of a Selection of Molecular Biomarkers

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to a realistic mixture of microplastic types and then tested whether a standard purification process could remove them. They found that purification significantly reduced microplastic contamination in the mussels and that molecular biomarkers in the gills could detect the biological effects of exposure. The study suggests that both purification protocols and molecular monitoring tools could help address microplastic risks in farmed shellfish.

2023 Animals 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to plastic debris alters expression of biomineralization, immune, and stress-related genes in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Researchers exposed eastern oysters to plastic debris during their first year of life and then analyzed changes in gene activity using RNA sequencing. They found that plastic exposure altered the expression of genes involved in shell building, immune response, and stress management. The study suggests that chronic contact with degrading plastics in the ocean can disrupt multiple biological processes in shellfish.

2025 PLoS ONE 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Realistic environmental exposure to microplastics does not induce biological effects in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

Pacific oysters were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene and polypropylene fragments for 10 days followed by depuration, with microplastics detected in tissues but no significant effects on clearance rate, tissue integrity, antioxidant defense, or DNA damage. The results suggest that realistic environmental concentrations of these larger fragments may not cause measurable biological harm to oysters.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics impacting shellfish?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.

2024
Article Tier 2

Pearl Farming Micro-Nanoplastics Affect Oyster Physiology and Pearl Quality

Researchers studied how micro- and nanoplastics from weathered pearl farming equipment affect oyster health and pearl quality in French Polynesia. Even at very low concentrations, the plastic particles reduced the oysters' ability to absorb nutrients and altered gene expression related to shell formation. The findings raise concerns that plastic pollution from farming equipment could threaten pearl quality and the long-term viability of the pearl industry.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Habitual feeding patterns impact polystyrene microplastic abundance and potential toxicity in edible benthic mollusks

This study examined how different feeding strategies in edible mollusks affect how many microplastics they accumulate and how toxic the effects are. Researchers found that deposit-feeding snails and filter-feeding clams accumulated microplastics differently, with distinct impacts on digestive enzymes, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity markers. The findings suggest that a shellfish species' feeding behavior directly influences the microplastic contamination risk for both the animal and human consumers.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in coastal and marine environments: A critical issue of plastic pollution on marine organisms, seafood contaminations, and human health implications

This review highlights the serious threat microplastics pose to marine life and the millions of people who depend on seafood as a primary protein source. Marine organisms, especially filter-feeders like oysters and mussels, accumulate microplastics that can cause tissue damage, oxidative stress, immune changes, and behavioral problems. Since these shellfish are often eaten raw, any toxins they accumulate -- including microplastics -- pass directly to humans.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 22 citations