Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic Beads and Fibers on Waterflea (Ceriodaphnia dubia) Survival, Growth, and Reproduction: Implications of Single and Mixture Exposures

Researchers tested the acute and chronic effects of polyester fibers and polyethylene beads, both individually and as mixtures, on the freshwater zooplankton Ceriodaphnia dubia. Both types caused dose-dependent survival effects in acute exposures, and chronic exposure reduced growth and reproduction even at lower concentrations. The study found that fiber-bead mixtures produced less than additive effects, suggesting the two forms of microplastics interact in complex ways.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 437 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

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

Effect of Polystyrene Microplastics in Different Diet Combinations on Survival, Growth and Reproduction Rates of the Water Flea (Daphnia magna)

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna water fleas to 6-micrometer fluorescent polystyrene microplastics across different diet combinations over 21 days, finding that animals fed only microplastics showed survival declines similar to starved controls and the least growth, while algae co-feeding partially mitigated but did not eliminate reproductive impacts.

2022 Microplastics 14 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

The combined toxicity test of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol on Daphnia magna

This study tested the combined toxicity of polyester microplastics and tetraethylene glycol on the water flea Daphnia magna, a standard freshwater toxicity test organism. The combined exposure was more harmful than either substance alone, highlighting the risks of plastic-chemical mixtures in aquatic environments.

2021
Article Tier 2

Effects of Different Microplastic Types and Surfactant-Microplastic Mixtures Under Fasting and Feeding Conditions: A Case Study on Daphnia magna

Daphnia magna were exposed to PP, PE, PVC, and PVC/PE microplastics alone and mixed with surfactants under fasting and feeding conditions, with results showing that homo-agglomeration of plastic particles caused mortality and immobilization, PVC combined with surfactant was most toxic, and food presence reduced effects. The study demonstrates that microplastic type, surface chemistry, and food availability all interact to determine ecotoxicity.

2019 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Animals: A Case Study on Daphnia

Researchers exposed Daphnia water fleas to ten types of virgin plastic materials (HDPE, LDPE, PA, PVC, PP, PS, TPU, etc.) and measured survival, reproduction, and behavioral endpoints, finding that PVC and certain engineering plastics caused the greatest acute toxicity while softer polyolefins had lower effects.

2025 Journal of Natural Science Review
Article Tier 2

Action of Surfactants in Driving Ecotoxicity of Microplastic-Nano Metal Oxides Mixtures: A Case Study on Daphnia magna under Different Nutritional Conditions

This study tested how surfactants (found in detergents and cleaning products) interact with microplastics and metal oxide nanoparticles to affect the toxicity of these combined pollutants on water fleas (Daphnia magna). Surfactants increased the toxicity of microplastic-nanoparticle mixtures, and the effect varied with the age and nutritional status of the test organisms. This highlights how the complex real-world mixture of pollutants in waterways can be more harmful than any single contaminant alone.

2021 IntechOpen eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics on the Growth, Reproduction and Survival of Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to polyvinyl chloride microplastics at different concentrations, alone and combined with two algal food sources, and measured growth, reproduction, and survival. PVC microplastics reduced fecundity and survival in a dose-dependent manner, with food source type modulating the severity of toxicity effects.

2025 International Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Effects of chronic exposure to microplastics and microplastics associated with polychlorinated biphenyl 153 on Daphnia magna

A 21-day chronic exposure study found that polyethylene microbeads alone and in combination with PCB-153 affected survival and reproduction of Daphnia magna, with the combined exposure producing more pronounced reproductive impairment than either pollutant alone.

2023 Human and Ecological Risk Assessment An International Journal 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, microplastics, and their mixtures on Daphnia magna

Researchers tested the acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, and microplastics individually and in mixtures on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that nanoplastics were more toxic than microplastics, and mixtures of these pollutants with triclosan or caffeine produced varying levels of combined toxicity. The study highlights that environmental pollutants rarely occur in isolation, and their mixtures may have unpredictable effects on aquatic organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel method for assessing microplastic effect in suspension through mixing test and reference materials

Researchers developed a new testing method to distinguish the toxic effects of microplastics from those of natural particles like clay by mixing them in different ratios and exposing water fleas (Daphnia magna) to the combinations. The study found that polyethylene terephthalate microplastics were significantly more harmful than clay, with toxicity detectable even when microplastics made up just 2.4% of suspended solids.

2019 Scientific Reports 61 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of microplastics and co-occurring toxicants on survival and life-history traits of the cladoceran Moina macrocopa

Researchers tested the effects of four types of microplastics on the freshwater cladoceran Moina macrocopa, both alone and in combination with copper, insecticides, and diesel fuel. The study found that only polystyrene-based microplastics induced direct toxicity, while other polymer types modulated the toxicity of co-occurring chemical contaminants in varying ways.

2025 Limnology and Freshwater Biology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

An Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Impact of Microplastics on Daphnia magna using Acute and Chronic Toxicity Endpoints with a Focus on Stress Behaviour

Laboratory tests on Daphnia magna (a key freshwater zooplankton) found that polyethylene microbeads alone at environmentally realistic concentrations did not cause significant harm, but when combined with the antimicrobial chemical triclocarban, microplastics appeared to increase toxicity. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers that enhance the effects of co-pollutants even when the plastics themselves seem harmless in isolation.

2023
Article Tier 2

An Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Impact of Microplastics on Daphnia magna using Acute and Chronic Toxicity Endpoints with a Focus on Stress Behaviour

Laboratory tests on Daphnia magna (a key freshwater zooplankton) found that polyethylene microbeads alone at environmentally realistic concentrations did not cause significant harm, but when combined with the antimicrobial chemical triclocarban, microplastics appeared to increase toxicity. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers that enhance the effects of co-pollutants even when the plastics themselves seem harmless in isolation.

2023 1 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

Effects of nano/microplastics on the growth and reproduction of the microalgae, bacteria, fungi, and Daphnia magna in the microcosms

Researchers tested the effects of 14 types of plastic particles and 6 fiber materials on microorganisms and water fleas in both single-species and microcosm experiments. They found that higher concentrations and smaller particle sizes of microplastics led to reduced growth rates in algae and other microorganisms. The study highlights the importance of testing realistic mixtures of plastic types rather than single materials when assessing the ecological risks of microplastic pollution.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 27 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

Assessment of toxic and behavioral effects of isolated and combined exposure of cladocerans (Daphnia similis and Moina micrura) to microplastics and cyanobacteria

This Brazilian study assessed the toxic and behavioral effects of cyanobacteria toxins and polymeric particles on cladocerans (Daphnia), two co-occurring contaminants in aquatic environments. Combined exposure produced distinct effects compared to individual exposures, highlighting the ecological complexity of multi-contaminant pollution.

2025 Arca - Repositório Institucional da Fiocruz
Review Tier 2

Ecotoxicology of microplastics in Daphnia: A review focusing on microplastic properties and multiscale attributes of Daphnia

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics affect Daphnia, a key organism in aquatic food webs, across individual, population, and community levels. Researchers found that the toxicity of microplastics to Daphnia depends heavily on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, and that combined exposure with other pollutants can produce more severe effects. The study highlights Daphnia as an important indicator species for understanding how microplastic pollution cascades through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos to Daphnia magna

This study examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos pesticide on Daphnia magna, a standard aquatic toxicity test organism. The two contaminants together caused greater mortality and reproductive impairment than either alone, suggesting synergistic toxicity.

2024 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological interactions induced by chronic exposure to gold nanoparticles and microplastics mixtures in Daphnia magna

This study examined the combined toxicological effects of gold nanoparticles and microplastics through chronic exposure, finding interactive effects that differed from either contaminant alone, emphasizing the importance of studying multiple stressors together.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 154 citations