Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Comparison of the Composition and Abundance of Phytoplankton Based on Different Land Use in the Cisadane River, Tangerang Regency

This paper is not about microplastics; it surveys phytoplankton species composition and abundance in the Cisadane River, Indonesia, across sites with different land use types, linking community diversity to water quality parameters like pH and transparency.

2023 Berkala Ilmiah Biologi
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Water Quality Status, Nutrients, and Phytoplankton Communities in the Coastal Zone of East Aceh Regency, Indonesia

This study assessed seasonal water quality and phytoplankton communities along the East Aceh coast of Indonesia, examining nutrients and physical parameters. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial and Temporal Variations in Phytoplankton Community in Dianchi Lake Using eDNA Metabarcoding

This paper is not about microplastic pollution. It uses environmental DNA metabarcoding to study phytoplankton communities in Dianchi Lake, China, identifying seasonal and spatial variation in algal species and the environmental factors that drive those changes.

2023 Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial analysis of the influence on “microplastic communities” in the water at a medium scale

Spatial analysis of microplastic communities in Hubei Province, China found that microplastics were more abundant in rivers than lakes (average 1.74 items/L), negatively correlated with distance from residential areas, and that anthropogenic land cover increased abundance while natural vegetation decreased it.

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

Effect of Microplastics on Aquatic Food Chain and Food Web Altering Phytoplankton Community Structure

This review examines how microplastics affect phytoplankton community structure and how these effects propagate through aquatic food chains and food webs, with implications for nutrient cycling and ecosystem services.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrodynamics regulates microbial degradation of microplastics by modulating bottom-up and top-down effects in a river-lake confluence zone

Researchers examined how hydrodynamic conditions in river-lake confluence zones regulate microbial degradation of microplastics by modulating bottom-up and top-down effects within multi-trophic microbial communities.

2025 Water Research
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofouled plastics on phytoplankton community assembling and water chemistry: pilot study and implications for freshwater environments

Researchers conducted a pilot laboratory study exposing a five-species freshwater phytoplankton community to pristine and biofouled polypropylene fragments to investigate whether plastic acts as a carrier for algal species dispersal and to assess effects on water biodiversity and chemistry in freshwater environments.

2024
Article Tier 2

Macrophyte complexity influences habitat choices of juvenile fish

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how macrophyte structural complexity influences habitat selection by juvenile Mediterranean fish in littoral zones.

2023 Marine Biology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of urbanization and water quality on microplastic distribution in Conceição Lagoon watershed, Brazil

A study of a Brazilian lagoon watershed found that urbanization significantly degraded water quality but did not clearly increase microplastic concentrations in tributary streams. Microplastic levels in the lagoon itself were correlated with indicators of wastewater discharge, and wind and rainfall influenced their distribution.

2023
Article Tier 2

Spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in water and sediments of a freshwater system (Antuã River, Portugal)

This study tracked the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in water and sediments of a freshwater lake, finding seasonal variation in microplastic concentrations and identifying local land use and runoff as key drivers of contamination patterns.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 800 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatio-seasonal microplastics distribution along a shallow coastal lagoon ecocline within a marine conservation unit

Researchers conducted monthly sampling along a shallow coastal lagoon ecocline in a Brazilian marine conservation unit and found seasonal variation in microplastic abundance driven by rainfall and river inputs, with polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and fragments dominating the samples.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecology of mesozooplankton in a subtropical coastal lagoon: composition, spatial distribution and interactions with microplastic pollution

Researchers studied mesozooplankton ecology in a subtropical coastal lagoon, examining community composition, spatial distribution, and interactions with microplastic pollution to understand how plastic contamination affects zooplankton dynamics in coastal environments.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Zooplankton exposure to microplastic contamination in a estuarine plume-influenced region, in Northeast Brazil

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in estuarine plume waters off the coast of northeastern Brazil and its relationship with zooplankton. The study found significantly higher microplastic abundance during the high rainfall season, with fibers and fragments being the dominant types, and elevated concentrations in river plume areas compared to reef-adjacent waters, indicating land-based sources as major contributors.

2023 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Influence of Habitat Heterogeneity and Human Activities on the Distribution of Microbial Diversity in a High Elevation Drop River

This is a freshwater microbiology study characterizing bacterial diversity in the Huotong River across different land-use zones in China; it is not a microplastics research paper.

2023 Diversity 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics on Microbial Succession at Impaired and Unimpaired Sites in a Riverine System

Researchers compared microbial biofilm diversity on microplastic polymers and natural substrates at impaired and unimpaired riverine sites, examining how environmental nutrient loads, seasonality, and geography influence microbiome succession on plastic surfaces in freshwater ecosystems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Variability of microplastic loading and retention in four inland lakes in Minnesota, USA

Researchers measured microplastic levels in four small lakes in Minnesota and found that watershed size and urban development were the biggest factors driving contamination. Surface water concentrations varied widely, and sediment levels did not directly correlate with what was found in the water above. The study highlights how local land use patterns influence where microplastics end up in freshwater ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of urbanization and water quality on microplastic distribution in Conceição Lagoon watershed, Brazil

Researchers assessed microplastic distribution across urbanized and non-urbanized tributaries of Conceicao Lagoon watershed in Brazil. The study found that while urbanization significantly affected water quality parameters, it did not always correspond to higher microplastic concentrations. Evidence indicates that microplastic pollution in freshwater systems is influenced by multiple factors beyond urbanization alone, complicating simple predictions about contamination patterns.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

High macroplastic pollution in a subtropical urban lake affects macroinvertebrate community structure

Researchers examined the effects of high macroplastic pollution in a subtropical urban lake on macroinvertebrate communities, finding that plastic debris significantly altered benthic assemblages and reduced biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems that have received less ecological attention than marine environments.

2025 Hydrobiologia
Article Tier 2

Combined impacts of micoplastic type, concentrations and nutrient loading on freshwater communities and ecosystems

Researchers used 40 outdoor freshwater mesocosms to test the independent and interactive effects of microplastic type (conventional vs. bio-based biodegradable), particle concentration, and nutrient enrichment on pelagic community structure and ecosystem functions including phytoplankton biomass, periphyton productivity, and leaf litter decomposition, finding no significant impacts at the ecosystem scale.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The Role of Landscape Configuration, Season, and Distance from Contaminant Sources on the Degradation of Stream Water Quality in Urban Catchments

A study of a Portuguese river basin found that landscape configuration and proximity to pollution point sources both affect stream macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrates are sensitive to microplastic pollution, and their decline in contaminated streams can indicate broader ecosystem degradation.

2019 Water 38 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

Microalgae colonization of different microplastic polymers in experimental mesocosms across an environmental gradient

Microalgal colonization of five different microplastic polymer types was monitored in freshwater mesocosms across an environmental gradient, finding that polymer type, surface properties, and environmental conditions all influenced the biomass and community composition of epiplastic microalgal biofilms.

2021 Global Change Biology 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological traits do not predict the uptake of microplastics by fishes in a Neotropical River

Researchers found that ecological traits such as feeding guild, habitat use, and body size do not reliably predict microplastic uptake in fish species from a Neotropical river, suggesting contamination patterns are driven more by local environmental conditions than by species-specific biology.

2023
Article Tier 2

Influence of Urbanization and Seasonality on Microplastics in a Small Brazilian Inland Stream

Researchers sampled a small Brazilian inland stream upstream and downstream of an urban center during dry and rainy seasons, finding urbanization significantly increased microplastic abundance from 1.7 to 2.6 particles per liter during the dry season, while rainfall effects were less consistent.

2025 Microplastics