Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Nano- and microplastics trigger secretion of protein-rich extracellular polymeric substances from phytoplankton

Researchers exposed four marine phytoplankton species to polystyrene nano- and microplastics and found that the smallest particles (55 nm nanoplastics) caused the most stress, reducing cell survival and altering the composition of secreted extracellular substances. The stressed phytoplankton produced protein-rich exopolymeric substances that facilitated the formation of aggregates around the plastic particles. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution can change how marine microorganisms interact with their environment, affecting both plastic fate and microbial ecology.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 158 citations
Article Tier 2

Critical review of the characteristics, interactions, and toxicity of micro/nanomaterials pollutants in aquatic environments

This review examined the behavior, interactions, and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics alongside metal nanoparticles in aquatic environments. Researchers found that these pollutants interact in complex ways that can affect organisms, and the study also explored how metal nanoparticles could potentially be used to remove microplastics from water due to their photocatalytic and magnetic properties.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 68 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of algae in regulating the fate of microplastics: A review for processes, mechanisms, and influencing factors

This review examines how algae influence the fate of microplastics in aquatic environments through processes including retention, flocculation, deposition, and biodegradation. Researchers found that algae can trap microplastics via adhesion and produce extracellular substances and enzymes that contribute to aggregate formation and partial breakdown of plastic particles, though these interactions are influenced by algal species, microplastic characteristics, and environmental conditions.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on microalgae and their trophic transfer along the food chain: recent advances and perspectives

This review summarized evidence on how nanoplastics affect microalgae — including growth inhibition, oxidative stress, and altered photosynthesis — and examined trophic transfer of nanoplastics up the food chain, finding that toxicity depended on NP concentration, size, and surface charge.

2021 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of extracellular polymeric substances on the behaviors of micro/nanoplastics in the water environment

This review examines how extracellular polymeric substances produced by microorganisms interact with micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments. Researchers found that these natural polymers can form coatings on plastic particles that enhance pollutant adsorption and promote sinking, influencing how microplastics are transported, distributed, and ultimately removed from the water column.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nano-plastics and microalgae in aquatic environment: Influence factor, interaction, and molecular mechanisms.

This review examined the interactions between micro/nanoplastics and microalgae in aquatic environments, summarizing how plastic particle size, surface chemistry, and co-pollutants influence algal toxicity through oxidative stress, photosynthesis inhibition, and gene expression changes.

2024 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Interactions between phytoplankton species and micro/nano‐plastics and heavy metal contamination

This review examined the interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and heavy metals in the context of phytoplankton ecotoxicology, analyzing how combined pollutant stress affects marine primary producers. The combined toxicity was often greater than individual effects, with MPs acting as carriers that alter heavy metal bioavailability to phytoplankton.

2025 Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Article Tier 2

Interplay of plastic pollution with algae and plants: hidden danger or a blessing?

Researchers tested the ability of three microalgae species to remove microplastics from water through bioadhesion, finding that all three species could adsorb particles onto their surfaces. Removal efficiency depended on particle size, surface charge, and algae cell morphology.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Research advances on impacts micro/nanoplastics and their carried pollutants on algae in aquatic ecosystems: A review

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics harm algae, which are the foundation of aquatic food chains, by slowing growth, reducing photosynthesis, and damaging cells. The effects are worse when microplastics carry other pollutants on their surfaces, creating a combined toxic effect. Since algae support the entire aquatic food web, damage to these organisms can ripple upward through fish and shellfish to affect the safety of seafood consumed by humans.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 39 citations
Review Tier 2

A critical review of interactions between microplastics, microalgae and aquatic ecosystem function

This review of microplastic-microalgae interactions found that microplastics form distinct epiplastic algal communities that differ from surrounding water communities, and that the interactions are bidirectional — MP properties affect algal physiology while algal surface coatings alter MP behavior and fate.

2020 Water Research 412 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment: Contamination, Determination and Interaction with Other Contaminants

This review gathers information on microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in aquatic environments, examining their detection methods, environmental persistence, and interactions with other contaminants including their capacity to adsorb and release chemical compounds.

2023 PERIÓDICO TCHÊ QUÍMICA 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics altered contaminant behavior and toxicity in natural waters

This review examines how microplastics in natural waters can leach chemical additives and alter the behavior and toxicity of other pollutants like heavy metals and organic contaminants. Researchers found that factors such as particle size, aging, and water chemistry influence how much contamination microplastics release and absorb. The findings highlight that microplastics act not just as pollutants themselves but also as carriers that can change the environmental fate and risk of other toxic substances.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic interactions with freshwater microalgae: Hetero-aggregation and changes in plastic density appear strongly dependent on polymer type

Researchers studied interactions between microplastics and freshwater microalgae, finding that microplastics can physically attach to algal cells to form hetero-aggregates, altering both particle behavior and algal physiology.

2016 Environmental Pollution 704 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Impacts on Aquatic Organisms, with Emphasis on Microalgae

This review covers the distribution of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their impacts on aquatic organisms from bacteria to fish, with a focus on effects on microalgae as primary producers. The authors highlight that nanoplastics may be more biologically active than microplastics due to their size and surface reactivity, warranting greater research attention.

2018 Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicity of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic algae: Facts, challenges, and future opportunities

This review provides a comprehensive assessment of how micro- and nanoplastics harm aquatic algae, which form the base of ocean and freshwater food chains. The toxic effects include reduced growth, oxidative stress, and disrupted photosynthesis, with nanoplastics generally causing more damage than larger particles. Since algae support the entire aquatic food web, their decline from plastic pollution could reduce the quality and safety of fish and shellfish consumed by people.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments adsorb organic pollutants and metals onto their surfaces, effectively acting as carriers for other contaminants. Researchers found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and aging of the plastic significantly influence this sorption behavior. The findings raise concerns that microplastics may increase the bioavailability and toxicity of chemical pollutants in waterways.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 685 citations
Article Tier 2

The threat of micro/nanoplastic to aquatic plants: current knowledge, gaps, and future perspectives

This review summarizes what is known about how micro- and nanoplastics affect aquatic plants, including how plants absorb these particles through roots and leaves and transport them internally. Exposure can alter plant growth, photosynthesis, and interactions with other organisms, though effects vary widely depending on plastic type and concentration. The authors highlight major research gaps and call for more studies on real-world conditions rather than controlled lab settings.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Current methods to monitor microalgae-nanoparticle interaction and associated effects

Researchers reviewed over sixty studies on how nanoparticles — including metals, silica, and plastics — affect aquatic microalgae, finding that shading, ion release, oxidative stress, and adsorption are the primary impact pathways, though no consensus has emerged on which particle properties (size, chemistry, concentration) most determine toxicity.

2019 Aquatic Toxicology 60 citations
Article Tier 2

When microplastics meet microalgae: Unveiling the dynamic formation of aggregates and their impact on toxicity and environmental health

Researchers studied what happens when microplastics and algae meet in water, finding that algae colonize plastic surfaces and form clumps that absorb more toxic metals like copper than bare microplastics alone. This matters for human health because these microplastic-algae clumps can concentrate pollutants in aquatic food chains that eventually lead to the seafood on our plates.

2024 Water Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental factors-mediated behavior of microplastics and nanoplastics in water: A review

This review examines how environmental conditions such as pH, salt levels, and organic matter influence how microplastics and nanoplastics behave in water. The study found that these factors significantly affect whether tiny plastic particles clump together or stay dispersed, which in turn determines how far they travel and how available they are for organisms to ingest.

2021 Chemosphere 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Hetero-Aggregation of Nanoplastics with Freshwater Algae and the Toxicological Consequences: The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances

Researchers studied how polystyrene and polylactic acid nanoplastics hetero-aggregate with the alga Chlorella vulgaris, finding that extracellular polymeric substances released by algae strongly influenced aggregation behavior and that aggregation altered the toxicity of nanoplastics.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the Migration Patterns for Nanoplastics With Different Sizes in Chlorella vulgaris and Their Effects on Heavy Metal Adsorption by the Microalgae

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can get absorbed by algae, with smaller particles entering the algae cells while larger ones stick to the surface. These plastic particles change how the algae absorb toxic heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead from water. This matters because it could affect how these dangerous metals move through the food chain and potentially reach humans who eat seafood or use algae-based products.

2026 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

The crucial role of heavy metals on the interaction of engineered nanoparticles with polystyrene microplastics

This study examined how heavy metals affect the interaction between engineered nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics in multi-solute aquatic systems, finding that heavy metal ions alter nanoparticle uptake onto microplastic surfaces and complicate toxicological predictions.

2021 Water Research 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Inorganic Nanoparticle and Nanoplastic Transformations and the Impact on Biouptake by Freshwater Algal Cells Using Single Cell and Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

This dissertation used single-particle and single-cell ICP-MS to quantify how nanoparticles and nanoplastics transform in the presence of freshwater algae and how those transformations affect biouptake, finding that algal interactions altered particle surface chemistry and changed bioavailability.

2025 Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina)