Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastic on the growth and volatile halocarbons release of microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics inhibit the growth of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and significantly alter the release of volatile halocarbons, including trihalomethanes, raising concerns about microplastic impacts on oceanic climate-active trace gas production.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics alter plankton community and enhance greenhouse gas emissions: A case study in the China coastal sea

Researchers demonstrated through ship-based and laboratory experiments that polystyrene microplastics suppress phytoplankton growth by up to 82 percent and increase dissolved organic carbon accumulation in coastal seawater. The microplastics restructured plankton communities and enhanced the production of brominated volatile halocarbons, which are ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in coastal waters may have cascading effects on marine carbon cycling and atmospheric chemistry.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological responses and altered halocarbon production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum after exposure to polystyrene microplastics

Exposure to microplastics altered physiological responses and halocarbon production in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, with implications for oceanic emissions of ozone-depleting brominated substances.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro- and nano-plastics on growth, antioxidant system, DMS, and DMSP production in Emiliania huxleyi

Researchers exposed a key ocean-dwelling algae species to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found that both sizes impaired growth and triggered oxidative stress. The nanoplastics were more harmful than microplastics, reducing chlorophyll content and altering the production of climate-relevant sulfur compounds. The study suggests that plastic pollution could disrupt ocean algae that play an important role in regulating atmospheric chemistry and climate.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Evaluating physiological responses of microalgae towards environmentally coexisting microplastics: A meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of 52 studies found that microplastics inhibit microalgal growth and photosynthesis and induce oxidative damage, though microalgae can recover over time. Cyanobacteria are more vulnerable than green algae, and the relative size of microplastics to algal cells governs the mechanism of impact, while aged versus pristine microplastics have opposite effects on extracellular polymeric substance and microcystin production.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt microalgal carbon fixation: Efficiency and underlying mechanisms

Researchers exposed the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa to polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics and found up to 39% inhibition of carbon fixation, driven by reduced chlorophyll content, increased oxidative stress, and downregulation of genes in the Calvin cycle and chlorophyll metabolism, with implications for aquatic carbon cycling.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Concentration dependent toxicity of microplastics to marine microalgae

Researchers exposed the marine microalga Chlorella sp. to polystyrene microplastics at concentrations of 10 and 50 mg/L, finding that even low concentrations inhibited growth and disrupted photosynthesis, while higher concentrations caused more pronounced oxidative stress.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Decreased Dimethylsulfideand Increased PolybrominatedMethanes: Potential Climate Effects of Microplastic Pollution in AcidifiedOcean

Researchers conducted a ship-based microcosm experiment to investigate how combined microplastic pollution and ocean acidification affect biogenic climate-active gases, finding decreased dimethylsulfide and increased polybrominated methanes, with potential implications for marine climate regulation.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The Growth Inhibition of Polyethylene Nanoplastics on the Bait-Microalgae Isochrysis galbana Based on the Transcriptome Analysis

Researchers found that polyethylene nanoplastics (50 nm) significantly inhibited growth and reduced chlorophyll in the bait microalga Isochrysis galbana through oxidative stress and disrupted gene expression, while larger microplastics had no significant impact.

2023 Microorganisms 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Warming and microplastic pollution shape the carbon and nitrogen cycles of algae

Researchers investigated how ocean warming combined with microplastic pollution affects carbon and nitrogen cycling in marine diatoms and dinoflagellates, revealing that these combined stressors alter key biochemical processes in dominant phytoplankton species.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative assessment of MP effects on pigment composition and lipid profiles in three marine microalgae

Researchers exposed three marine microalgae species to polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics and found that the particles altered pigment composition and lipid profiles in species-specific ways. Microplastic exposure generally reduced photosynthetic pigments and shifted fatty acid profiles, with effects varying depending on the polymer type and concentration ratio. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could disrupt the biochemistry of ecologically and commercially important microalgae at the base of marine food webs.

2026 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Antagonistic and synergistic effects of warming and microplastics on microalgae: Case study of the red tide species Prorocentrum donghaiense

Researchers exposed the red tide microalgae Prorocentrum donghaiense to different microplastic concentrations and temperatures, finding that microplastics significantly suppressed growth and photosynthesis at 16 degrees C but that higher temperatures (22 and 28 degrees C) partially counteracted these effects at low microplastic doses. The antagonistic and synergistic outcomes of combined warming and microplastic exposure depended on microplastic concentration.

2022 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different types of microplastics on the growth and low molecular weight organic acids release of Dunaliella salina

Researchers cultivated the marine microalga Dunaliella salina in the presence of five common plastic types and found that PTFE caused the greatest growth inhibition while all polymers affected nutrient utilization and the release of low-molecular-weight organic acids, with toxicity following the order PTFE > PVC > PE > PS > PET.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on the toxicity of chlorpyrifos and mercury on the marine microalgae Rhodomonas lens

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics influence the toxicity of chlorpyrifos and mercury to the marine microalga Rhodomonas lens, finding that microplastics can modify pollutant bioavailability and alter toxic effects depending on particle surface oxidation state.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Warming coupled with elevated pCO2 modulates microplastic inhibition in a commercial red alga Pyropia haitanensis

Researchers cultured the commercially important red seaweed Pyropia haitanensis under elevated CO₂, warming, and a range of microplastic concentrations, finding that microplastics caused strong concentration-dependent stress on growth and photosynthesis, but that elevated pCO₂ modulated these inhibitory effects.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Decreased Dimethylsulfideand Increased PolybrominatedMethanes: Potential Climate Effects of Microplastic Pollution in AcidifiedOcean

Researchers conducted a ship-based microcosm experiment examining the combined effects of microplastic pollution and ocean acidification on short-lived biogenic climate-active gases, finding that these stressors together decreased dimethylsulfide while increasing polybrominated methanes, suggesting novel climate feedback pathways.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on CHCl3 and CHBr3 fluxes and microbial community in temperate salt marsh soil

This study examined how polyethylene microplastics in marine sediments affect the production of halogenated compounds (chloroform and bromoform) and microbial community structure, finding that plastics alter both biogeochemical fluxes and microbial diversity.

2024 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxidative stress and energy metabolic response of Isochrysis galbana induced by different types of pristine and aging microplastics and their leachates

Researchers compared how different types of pristine and aged microplastics affect a marine microalga used in aquaculture. Aged microplastics were more toxic than fresh ones, and the chemical compounds they released into the water caused greater oxidative stress and energy disruption in algal cells. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become more harmful to the base of the marine food chain.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Light availability modulates the responses of the microalgae Desmodesmus sp. to micron-sized polyvinyl chloride microplastics

This review examines the physical and chemical hazards of microplastics to marine mammals, summarizing evidence from necropsy studies and laboratory exposure experiments. Entanglement, intestinal blockage, and leaching of toxic additives are identified as primary harm pathways.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic and microbial ecological insights into the impacts of micro- and nano- plastics on microbial reductive dehalogenation of organohalide pollutants

Researchers found that microplastics generally enhanced microbial reductive dehalogenation of organohalide pollutants by 10-217%, while nanoplastics consistently inhibited it by increasing reactive oxygen species, revealing size-dependent effects on pollutant biotransformation in contaminated environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 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

Behavior and surface properties of microalgae indicate environmental changes

Not relevant to microplastics — this microcosm study examines how temperature and salinity stress affect the behavior, growth, and surface properties of three marine microalgal species.

2023 Journal of Applied Phycology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics leachate may play a more important role than microplastics in inhibiting microalga Chlorella vulgaris growth at cellular and molecular levels

Researchers found that chemical compounds leaching from aged microplastics may be more harmful to algae than the microplastic particles themselves. UV-weathered polyethylene and PVC released substances that inhibited algae growth, caused oxidative stress, and altered gene expression more severely than direct particle exposure. The study suggests that the chemicals released by degrading microplastics deserve more attention as a source of aquatic toxicity.

2023 Environmental Pollution 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Nitric oxide release as a defense mechanism in marine microalgae against microplastic-induced stress

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect nitric oxide release in two species of marine microalgae. They found that microplastic exposure disrupted photosynthesis and triggered the algae to release nitric oxide as a stress defense mechanism. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may alter fundamental biological signaling in marine phytoplankton, with potential cascading effects on ocean ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations