Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in marine organisms across trophic levels along the west coast of India

This study compared microplastic accumulation across trophic levels — including invertebrates, small fish, and large fish — at two locations along the west coast of a marine region. MP abundance decreased with increasing trophic level, suggesting dilution rather than biomagnification, but species at higher trophic positions still carried measurable contamination.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Indian Ocean: a review of the ingestion and trophic transfer in commercial pelagic fish

This review examined microplastic ingestion and trophic transfer in the Indian Ocean, synthesizing evidence that MPs accumulate across marine food webs from zooplankton to large fish and marine mammals, and estimating the dietary MP exposure of human consumers of Indian Ocean seafood.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web

Researchers assessed microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification across three trophic levels in a coral reef food web, including zooplankton, benthic crustaceans, and reef fish. The study suggests that microplastics accumulate differently depending on species and trophic position, providing important baseline data for understanding ecological risks of microplastic contamination in coral reef ecosystems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of marine organisms at multi-trophic level to study the integrated biological responses induced by microplastics through food-chain

Researchers used marine organisms across multiple trophic levels to study how microplastics move and accumulate through the food chain, finding that toxicological effects intensify at higher trophic levels due to bioaccumulation of plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024
Article Tier 2

Exploring transfer of microplastics in the trophic chain: a prey-predator interaction case in the Strait of Messina

Researchers examined the transfer of microplastics across trophic levels in a prey-predator marine food web, tracking particles from prey organisms to predators. The study confirmed trophic transfer of microplastics and found that predators can accumulate higher particle concentrations than their prey.

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

From prey to predators: Evidence of microplastic trophic transfer in tuna and large pelagic species in the southwestern Tropical Atlantic

Researchers found evidence of microplastic trophic transfer from prey to tuna and large pelagic predators in the southwestern Tropical Atlantic, demonstrating that plastic contamination moves through marine food chains to economically important fish species.

2023 Environmental Pollution 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Trophic Transfer in Seafood Varieties Caught from the Coastal Waters off Negombo

This study examined microplastic trophic transfer among five commercially important seafood species caught from coastal waters off Negombo, Sri Lanka, analyzing tissues to trace how plastics move through the food web. Results showed microplastics were present across trophic levels, with contamination patterns differing by species and tissue type.

2024 Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The patterns of trophic transfer of microplastic ingestion by fish in the artificial reef area and adjacent waters of Haizhou Bay

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion by fish in Haizhou Bay's artificial reef area, finding evidence of trophic transfer where predatory species accumulated more microplastics than lower trophic level species in the food web.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of polyester microfibres across a multi-level marine food web

Researchers tracked how polyester microfibers move through a coral reef food chain, from tiny copepods to shrimp to fish. They found that microplastic concentrations increased up to 14.6-fold between trophic levels, demonstrating that these particles accumulate as they pass up the food web. The study highlights how microplastics can concentrate in marine organisms through normal predator-prey relationships.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics in commercially important species along Thoothukudi coast, south east India

Researchers found microplastics in the guts of 12 commercially important marine species along India's Thoothukudi coast, with herbivores showing the highest ingestion rates and evidence of biomagnification across trophic levels, suggesting feeding habits — not habitat or body size — drive microplastic accumulation.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics in the aquatic ecosystem of Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh

Researchers sampled organisms across four trophic levels in the aquatic ecosystem of the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh, finding microplastic abundance increased with trophic level from an average of 0.56 items per primary consumer to 4.17 items per quaternary consumer. The positive correlation between microplastic abundance and trophic level confirmed trophic transfer across the food web.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation, biomagnification and ecological risk evaluation of microplastics in Sanggou Bay, China

Researchers studied microplastic contamination in marine organisms across Sanggou Bay, China, and found plastic particles in every species examined, with concentrations varying by organism. They discovered evidence of biomagnification, meaning microplastics accumulated to higher concentrations up the food chain, with smaller particles, fibers, and polystyrene showing the strongest transfer between species. The study provides new evidence that the physical characteristics of microplastics influence how they move through marine food webs.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring transfer of microplastics in the trophic chain: a prey-predator interaction case in the Strait of Messina

This study examined how microplastics transfer through marine food webs via predator-prey interactions, tracking the movement of particles across trophic levels. Results confirmed that microplastics can be transferred from prey to predator and accumulate at higher trophic levels, posing risks to top predators and fisheries.

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

Ingestion and transfer of microplastics in the planktonic food web

Researchers demonstrated that microplastics are ingested and transferred through a planktonic food web, with particles passing from primary producers to zooplankton grazers and on to predatory plankton, establishing trophic transfer as a real pathway for microplastic movement through marine food chains.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1567 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastics in marine organisms: A review and meta-analysis of current data

This meta-analysis reviews current evidence on whether microplastics accumulate and concentrate as they move up the marine food chain. The findings have direct implications for seafood safety, since biomagnification would mean that larger predatory fish consumed by humans could contain higher concentrations of microplastics and their associated chemical additives.

2020 PLoS ONE 571 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of alternative natural diet on microplastic ingestion, functional responses and trophic transfer in a tri-trophic coastal pelagic food web

Researchers studied how microplastics move through a three-level marine food chain, from zooplankton prey to planktivorous fish, and how the availability of natural food affects microplastic ingestion. When natural food was scarce, organisms consumed more microplastics, and the particles transferred efficiently up the food chain. This study demonstrates that microplastics in the ocean can accumulate through the food web and reach fish species that humans commonly eat.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic characterization in the stomachs of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from the western Mediterranean Sea

Researchers analyzed the stomachs of 49 swordfish from the western Mediterranean Sea and found microplastics in 80% of them, predominantly small fibers made of polyethylene terephthalate. Comparing samples from two time periods showed that the frequency of microplastic ingestion increased over time, rising from about 70% to 90% of fish examined. The study highlights growing microplastic exposure in large predatory fish that are widely consumed by humans.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemicals they carry transfer through marine food webs from lower to higher trophic levels, and what this means for human health given that people consume marine fish and seafood. It identifies microplastics as a vector for bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in ways that ultimately reach humans.

2018 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Abundance and Distribution of Microplastics in Fish by Trophic Level in Kupang Bay, Indonesia

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance in fish from Kupang Bay, Indonesia across herbivore and carnivore trophic levels and multiple organs (GIT, gills, muscle), finding carnivores accumulated more microplastics than herbivores and gills showed the highest concentrations.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics move through marine food webs via trophic transfer and carry chemical contaminants that can accumulate in higher predators, including humans. Researchers found that microplastics readily sorb pollutants from surrounding waters and release them after being ingested by organisms, potentially amplifying toxic effects at each level of the food chain. The study underscores the need for more research on bioaccumulation factors and the implications of seafood-mediated microplastic exposure for human health.

2018 Environment International 1310 citations
Article Tier 2

Worldwide contamination of fish with microplastics: A brief global overview

A literature review from March 2019 to March 2020 synthesized worldwide data on microplastic contamination in fish, finding that a median of 60% of fish from 198 species across 24 countries contained microplastics in their organs. Carnivorous species ingested more microplastics than herbivores, consistent with trophic transfer and bioaccumulation through food webs.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 144 citations
Review Tier 2

How plastic debris and associated chemicals impact the marine food web: A review.

This review examined how plastic debris and associated chemicals disrupt marine food webs at all trophic levels, from physical entanglement and false satiation in megafauna to microplastic ingestion and chemical transfer through trophic magnification, concluding that plastic contamination poses systemic threats to marine ecosystem function.

2023 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

The effects of trophic transfer and environmental factors on microplastic uptake by plaice, Pleuronectes plastessa, and spider crab, Maja squinado

Researchers examined microplastic uptake in plaice and spider crab from the Celtic Sea alongside their prey (sand eels), finding plastic contamination in roughly 42–50% of all three species and documenting the first confirmed trophic transfer of microplastics from prey to predator in a wild marine food chain, though proximity to land rather than fishing intensity predicted exposure levels.

2018 Environmental Pollution 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion and trophic transfer in an endangered top predator, the longfin mako shark (Isurus paucus), from the tropical western Pacific Ocean

This study documented plastic ingestion and trophic transfer in longfin mako sharks from the tropical western Pacific, finding plastics in both the stomach contents and prey items of this endangered species, demonstrating that microplastic contamination reaches apex marine predators through trophic pathways.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 17 citations