Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Flow cytometric analysis of hepatopancreatic cells from Armadillidium vulgare highlights terrestrial isopods as efficient environmental bioindicators in ex vivo settings

Researchers optimized a method for analyzing individual cells from the digestive organ of pill bugs (terrestrial isopods) and used it to detect pollution-related stress across sites with different contamination levels. The findings position these common soil invertebrates as practical, early-warning biological indicators for environmental pollution monitoring.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on feeding and energy reserves of terrestrial isopods Porcellio scaber

Researchers exposed land-dwelling pill bugs to food contaminated with microplastics at concentrations found in compost heaps, and measured effects on feeding behavior and energy reserves in the digestive gland. The study investigated whether environmentally realistic microplastic levels in soil affect terrestrial invertebrates, which are important links in soil food webs.

2016 Repository of the University of Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana)
Article Tier 2

Response of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber to lipopolysaccharide challenge after microplastic and insecticide exposure

Researchers exposed terrestrial pill bugs (Porcellio scaber) to tire particle microplastics in soil for 14 days, then challenged them with a bacterial toxin to test their immune response. The study suggests that prior exposure to microplastics, especially in combination with the insecticide chlorpyrifos, can compromise the animals' ability to mount an effective immune defense against infections.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A bibliometric analysis of research on terrestrial isopods

A bibliometric analysis of 70 years of terrestrial isopod research revealed that the field has expanded from basic taxonomy to applied topics including ecotoxicology and the use of isopods as bioindicators of soil pollution. Isopods are increasingly studied for their responses to plastic and chemical contamination. The review highlights how fundamental invertebrate research can generate practical tools for environmental monitoring.

2022 ZooKeys 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A pilot study to assess carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as potential bioindicators of microplastics contamination in soils

Researchers tested whether ground beetles (Carabids) could serve as bioindicators of microplastic contamination in soil, finding that 32% of sampled beetles had ingested microplastics — with ingestion rates reaching 87.5% at a heavily touristed beach. This pilot study suggests these common insects could offer a simple, cost-effective way to monitor soil plastic pollution.

2025 Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Tyre and Road Wear Particles on the Terrestrial Isopod Armadillidium pallasii

This study investigated the effects of tyre microplastic particles (TMPs) and tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) on the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium pallasii, finding impaired growth and immune function at environmentally relevant concentrations. Car tyre microplastics—produced at an estimated 6 million tonnes annually—were confirmed as significant hazards to soil invertebrates.

2024 Biomolecules 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracking the journey: Europium-doped polystyrene nanoplastics distribution in a model invertebrate (terrestrial isopod, Porcellio scaber, Crustacea) upon dietary exposure

Researchers tracked the movement of specially labeled nanoplastic particles through the bodies of terrestrial isopods (pill bugs) after dietary exposure. Using advanced imaging techniques, they found that 100-nanometer particles spread more widely throughout the body than 300-nanometer particles, reaching beyond the digestive system into other tissues. The study provides detailed evidence that nanoplastics can cross biological barriers and distribute throughout the organs of soil-dwelling organisms.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 4 citations
Article Tier 2

An Efficient Low-Cost Laboratory Workflow for the Study of Blood Cells and RNA Extractions in Marine Invertebrates

This paper describes a low-cost laboratory method for studying blood cells and extracting genetic material from marine invertebrates, which are widely used as indicators of environmental pollution. Better lab methods will improve our ability to measure the biological effects of microplastic exposure in these organisms.

2021 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A new trypan blue agar plate assay for in vivo evaluation of gut damage in Folsomia candida springtail

Researchers developed a simple trypan blue agar plate test to assess gut barrier damage in springtails, a common soil test organism. The method provides an accessible way to measure intestinal injury caused by soil contaminants including microplastics. Expanding toxicological endpoints for springtails improves the ability to detect subtle biological harm in soil organisms used in standard ecotoxicity tests.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Effect of Macroplastic on Soil Invertebrates: a Case Study Using Morphological and Molecular Approaches

Large plastic fragments — not just microplastics — were found to harm soil invertebrate communities in Russia, reducing diversity and abundance in contaminated plots, suggesting that macroplastic pollution poses underappreciated risks to soil ecosystems.

2023 Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology
Article Tier 2

Assessing the impacts of microplastics on soil meso- and macro-fauna

This study aims to extend understanding of microplastic impacts beyond earthworms to include mites, collembolans, and other key soil invertebrate groups, developing ecotoxicology tests to establish risk assessment levels for microplastics in soil ecosystems.

2025
Article Tier 2

Hemocytes: A Useful Tool for Assessing the Toxicity of Microplastics, Heavy Metals, and Pesticides on Aquatic Invertebrates

This review highlights how hemocytes, the immune cells of invertebrates found in their hemolymph, can serve as a practical tool for assessing the toxic effects of microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides in aquatic environments. Researchers found that hemocyte-based tests can detect immune system changes and cellular damage more easily than traditional methods like measuring oxidative stress or mortality. The approach offers a sensitive and accessible way to monitor pollution impacts on aquatic invertebrates.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil and Sediment Organisms as Bioindicators of Pollution

This review examines how soil organisms like earthworms, insects, and microbes can serve as living indicators of pollution, including contamination from microplastics and heavy metals. Changes in these organisms' behavior, reproduction, or survival can reveal pollution levels that chemical tests alone might miss. The approach is relevant to microplastic research because it provides practical tools for assessing how microplastic contamination in soil affects the ecosystems that support agriculture and food production.

2024 Ecologies 10 citations
Article Tier 2

What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?

This review synthesized studies on how soil-dwelling animals — including earthworms, insects, and mites — respond to microplastic contamination, finding evidence of ingestion, tissue accumulation, and harmful effects across multiple soil organism groups. However, most studies used unrealistically high concentrations, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about risks at current environmental levels.

2020 2 citations
Article Tier 2

What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?

This review analyzed the available literature on how soil-dwelling animals respond to microplastics and found evidence of uptake, bioaccumulation, and harmful effects across many groups including earthworms, springtails, and beetles. Most studies used high concentrations not yet found in real soils, limiting conclusions about current environmental risks.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Arctic Amphipods as bioindicators of plastic pollution: identification and simultaneous quantification of small microplastics and microlitter (< 100 μm)

Researchers investigated Arctic amphipods as bioindicators of plastic pollution by simultaneously identifying and quantifying small microplastics, plastic additives, and other microlitter components below 100 micrometers in body tissues, focusing on the size fractions most likely to enter the trophic web.

2025 ARCA (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia)
Article Tier 2

Point-of-care testing for measuring haemolymph glucose in invertebrates is not a valid method

This study found that point-of-care blood glucose devices designed for humans are not reliable for measuring hemolymph glucose in invertebrates used in ecotoxicological studies. The findings have implications for the accuracy of field assessments of invertebrate health, including studies examining microplastic effects.

2019 Conservation Physiology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire microplastics exposure in soil induces changes in expression profile of immune-related genes in terrestrial crustacean Porcellio scaber

Tire microplastics applied to soil caused significant changes in the expression of immune-related genes in the terrestrial crustacean Porcellio scaber, including genes involved in antioxidant defense and pathogen recognition. The findings suggest tire wear particles in soil can disrupt immune function in soil-dwelling invertebrates.

2022 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of exposure to microplastics and pollutants on the arthropod microbiome

This thesis investigated how microplastics and other pollutants (pesticides, detergents, metals) affect the gut microbiome of freshwater invertebrates. Disruption of the host-microbiome relationship by microplastics could impair immune function and overall health in aquatic organisms that form important parts of the food web.

2021 Digital comprehensive summaries of Uppsala dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Using Earthworm (Aporrectodea caliginosa) as Vital Soil Pollution Bio-indicator for Microplastic Toxicity

Researchers exposed earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa) to three types of microplastics—polyester, polyacrylic, and polyethylene—found commonly in Egypt to assess toxicity over five weeks. Results showed dose-dependent declines in earthworm survival and morphological damage, with polyacrylic particles causing the greatest harm.

2025 Catrina The International Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Urban mangrove ecosystems are under severe threat from microplastic pollution: a case study from Mangalavanam, Kerala, India

Researchers investigated how exposure to polystyrene microplastics affects the reproductive success of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber, finding reduced offspring viability and altered feeding behavior at concentrations of 1% microplastics by dry weight in food. The results suggest meaningful ecotoxicological risks in soil ecosystems.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The Invertebrate Immunocyte: A Complex and Versatile Model for Immunological, Developmental, and Environmental Research

This review examined invertebrate immune cells (immunocytes/hemocytes) as models for studying the biological impacts of pollutants including microplastics. It highlights how these cells respond to environmental stressors and what their responses reveal about toxicity mechanisms in aquatic invertebrates.

2024 Cells 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Histopathology of chironomids exposed to fly ash and microplastics as a new biomarker of ecotoxicological assessment

Researchers used histopathological analysis of chironomid larvae exposed to fly ash and microplastics as a novel ecotoxicological biomarker, finding distinct tissue damage patterns that could serve as early indicators of aquatic pollution.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?

This review analyzed published studies on how multicellular soil organisms (including earthworms, mites, springtails, and nematodes) ingest and respond to microplastics, finding that most studies used unrealistically high concentrations and that ecologically relevant effects on soil fauna remain poorly characterized.

2020 SOIL 106 citations