Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Review of the toxic effect of microplastics on terrestrial and aquatic plants

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect both terrestrial and aquatic plants, finding that their toxicity depends on the type, size, and surface chemistry of the plastic particles. Researchers found that seeds and root systems are particularly vulnerable to microplastic exposure, and that the harmful effects differ between land and water plants. The study also highlights that chemicals released from or adsorbed onto microplastics pose additional secondary risks to plant health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 229 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on aquatic flora: Recent status, mechanisms of their toxicity and bioremediation strategies

This review examines how microplastics affect aquatic plants, from microscopic algae to larger vegetation, by physically blocking sunlight and pores and disrupting photosynthesis, reproduction, and nutrient uptake. Prolonged exposure triggers excessive production of harmful reactive oxygen species in plant cells, which can lead to cell death. The authors also highlight bioremediation approaches, including certain plants and microorganisms that can adsorb or break down microplastics by 25 to 80 percent in laboratory settings.

2024 Chemosphere 8 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

Effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine microalgae

This book chapter reviews the effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine microalgae, covering how different plastic types and sizes affect algal growth, photosynthesis, and reproduction. Microalgae form the base of aquatic food webs, so plastic-induced disruption to algal communities could have cascading effects throughout ecosystems.

2020 IWA Publishing eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the growth of sediment-rooted macrophytes

Both nano- and microplastic particles negatively affected the growth of freshwater macrophytes in sediment-rooted experiments, with nanoplastics causing more pronounced effects at lower concentrations. The findings highlight that aquatic plants, which form the base of many freshwater food webs, are vulnerable to plastic particle pollution.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 304 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics on the growth of plants and seed germination in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

This review examined the effects of microplastics on plant growth and seed germination in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, finding that microplastic presence can affect plant development through multiple mechanisms depending on polymer type, concentration, and the composition of the growing medium.

2021 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption, uptake and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics: Effects on terrestrial plants and aquatic macrophytes

This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with terrestrial plants and aquatic macrophytes, finding that many species can absorb or take up plastic particles. Both short-term and long-term plastic exposure triggered stress responses in plants, and since plants are at the base of food chains and a major part of the human diet, there is concern about plastics moving up through the food web. The findings suggest that plastic pollution could potentially affect plant productivity and broader ecosystem function.

2021 Environmental Pollution 218 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
Review Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Higher Plants: A Review

This review examines how microplastics affect higher plants, covering impacts on seed germination, root growth, photosynthesis, and nutrient uptake, while highlighting the role of plastic type, size, and concentration in determining phytotoxicity.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 136 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the toxic mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: A case study on Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum

Researchers exposed two submerged aquatic plant species (Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum) to PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations, finding that all three types significantly inhibited photosynthesis and growth and triggered oxidative stress, with effects varying by plastic type and plant species.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing phytotoxicity of microplastics on aquatic plants using fluorescent microplastics

Researchers tested the effects of tiny fluorescent microplastics on three types of aquatic plants and found that two species showed significantly reduced biomass after three weeks of exposure. They confirmed through laser fluorescence detection that the plants took up the microplastic particles. The study provides early evidence that microplastics can be directly harmful to aquatic plant growth, an area that has received limited research attention.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Implication of microplastic toxicity on functioning of microalgae in aquatic system

This review examined how microplastics interact with and affect microalgae, which serve as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Researchers analyzed the toxic effects of both single and mixed plastic particles on microalgae cells, including impacts on photosynthesis, growth, and cellular function. The study highlights that microplastic toxicity to microalgae could have cascading effects throughout aquatic food webs.

2022 Environmental Pollution 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Risks of Microplastic Toxicity on Biota and Plants

This review examines the ecological risks of microplastic toxicity to a wide range of organisms including plants, invertebrates, fish, and soil biota, synthesizing dose-response data and identifying the most sensitive species and exposure pathways across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastic/nanoplastic toxicity in plants: an imminent concern

This review examines the growing body of research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect terrestrial plants, from root uptake to changes in growth and gene expression. Researchers found that these particles can alter plant physiology and biochemistry at varying degrees depending on particle size and concentration. The study calls for more research on how plastic contamination in soil may ultimately affect food crop quality and human health through the food chain.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 182 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: toxicity and tolerance in plants

Researchers reviewed how microplastics harm both land plants and water plants by disrupting their growth, nutrient uptake, and genetic function, while also triggering the plants' own defense systems in response. Understanding how plants tolerate microplastic exposure is important because contaminated crops could eventually affect human health through the food chain.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwaters: Implications for Aquatic Autotrophic Organisms and Fauna Health

This review details the physical and chemical properties of microplastics found in freshwater environments and examines how they affect aquatic plants and animals. Researchers describe the mechanisms of biodegradation and the toxicity pathways triggered by microplastic exposure, which depend on particle size, concentration, type, and the species involved. The study emphasizes that freshwater ecosystems are permanently subjected to microplastic contamination, posing ongoing risks to the organisms that inhabit them.

2023 Microplastics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics exposure on the photosynthesis system of freshwater algae

Researchers investigated how polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the photosynthesis system of freshwater algae and found that both types reduced chlorophyll content and impaired photosynthetic efficiency. The damage was concentration-dependent and worsened over the growth period. The study highlights that microplastic pollution in freshwater can harm algae, which form the base of aquatic food chains.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 416 citations
Review Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on microalgae populations: A critical review

This critical review examines how microplastics affect microalgae populations, which are essential primary producers at the base of aquatic food webs. Researchers found that microplastics can reduce algal growth, impair photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress, with effects varying by plastic type, size, and concentration. The study highlights that harm to microalgae from plastic pollution could have cascading effects throughout entire aquatic ecosystems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 452 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of Microplastics to Aquatic Organisms

This review summarizes the toxic effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms at all levels of the food chain, covering both physical and chemical mechanisms of harm. The evidence reviewed supports the conclusion that microplastic exposure poses genuine risks to aquatic ecosystems and the humans who depend on them for food.

2017 TigerPrints (Clemson University) 13 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Bioavailability and phytotoxicity of micro/nanoplastics to aquatic plants: Trends, environmental drivers and mechanisms

This meta-analysis found that micro- and nanoplastics cause significant harm to aquatic plants, reducing their biomass and chlorophyll content through oxidative stress. Polyethylene was especially damaging, cutting plant biomass by over 42%. When plastic pollution harms the base of aquatic food chains, the effects can ripple upward through ecosystems that support both wildlife and human food sources.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Plants and microplastics: Growing impacts in the terrestrial environment

This review examines how microplastics affect plant growth and food crops, finding that exposure generally reduces plant size, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis, though low concentrations can sometimes stimulate root growth. Plants can take up plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer through their roots and move them to other tissues. These findings raise concerns that microplastics in soil, which can occur at higher levels than in water, could affect the health and nutritional quality of the food crops that people depend on.

2025 Frontiers in Plant Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A Critical Review on the Impacts of Nanoplastics and Microplastics on Aquatic and Terrestrial Photosynthetic Organisms

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics affect photosynthetic organisms in both water and on land, including algae, aquatic plants, and terrestrial crops. Researchers found that smaller plastic particles and those with positive surface charges tend to be the most toxic, and that chemical additives leaching from plastics are a major source of harm. The study raises concerns that plastics can be absorbed by plants and potentially transferred up the food chain to consumers.

2021 Small 198 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as emerging stressors in plants: biochemical and metabolic responses

This review examines how microplastics act as environmental stressors in plants, disrupting biochemical and metabolic processes including photosynthesis, antioxidant defenses, and nutrient uptake, with effects varying by polymer type, particle size, and concentration.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health
Article Tier 2

Accumulation and Toxicity of Nanoplastics in Photosynthetic‐Species

This review examines how nanoplastics, plastic particles smaller than one micrometer, affect plants ranging from algae to crop species. Researchers found that nanoplastics can cross plant cell barriers and interfere with photosynthesis, growth, and gene expression. The study highlights that the small size of nanoplastics makes them particularly concerning because they can penetrate deeper into plant tissues than larger microplastics.

2024 Macromolecular Symposia 5 citations