Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Molecular, biochemical and behavioral responses of Daphnia magna under long-term exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied the long-term effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna over a 21-day exposure period at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found molecular, biochemical, and behavioral changes even at low concentrations, suggesting that chronic exposure to nanoplastics may have significant impacts on aquatic organisms that short-term studies might miss.

2022 Environment International 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute and chronic effects of polystyrene microplastics on juvenile and adult Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the short- and long-term effects of polystyrene microplastics on juvenile and adult water fleas (Daphnia magna). While the particles were not acutely toxic within 48 hours, chronic exposure reduced growth, fecundity, and offspring body size. The study indicates that even at sublethal concentrations, microplastics can impair reproduction and development in this ecologically important freshwater organism.

2019 Environmental Pollution 183 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics at predicted environmental concentration on Daphnia pulex after exposure through multiple generations

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia pulex) to environmentally realistic nanoplastic concentrations across three generations over 63 days. They found that while the first two generations showed mainly molecular-level stress responses, the third generation experienced reduced growth and reproduction along with suppressed antioxidant defenses. The study suggests that even very low nanoplastic concentrations can have significant long-term toxic effects that worsen across generations and may take multiple generations to recover from.

2019 Environmental Pollution 177 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics caused high toxicity in three genetically distinct clones of the European water flea Daphnia longispina, highlighting the ecological hazard of nanoplastics and the importance of reporting exposure in particle count rather than mass metrics.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Potential for high toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to the European Daphnia longispina

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia) to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that 50 nm particles were thousands of times more toxic per unit mass than 100 nm particles, with effects comparable to highly regulated toxic chemicals. The results highlight how particle size dramatically changes nanoplastic hazard and challenge the assumption that microplastics pose low ecological risk.

2023 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating sublethal effects of long-term exposure of Daphnia magna to nanoplastics at a low concentration

Lab experiments exposed Daphnia magna — a water flea that links primary producers to larger predators — to nanoplastics at low concentrations over multiple generations. The nanoplastics caused sublethal reproductive effects that became more pronounced over successive generations, suggesting that long-term, low-level nanoplastic exposure in the environment could gradually impair aquatic invertebrate population health.

2020
Article Tier 2

Primary and Secondary Plastic Particles Exhibit Limited Acute Toxicity but Chronic Effects on Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the chronic effects of both primary nanoplastics (polystyrene nanospheres) and secondary micro- and nanoplastics from weathered single-use plastics on Daphnia magna across multiple generations. The study found that nanoplastics accumulated in the intestine and brood chamber, transferred to offspring, and reduced reproduction and physiological function, with effects persisting across generations even after exposure ended.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Sublethal impacts of fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics on Daphnia magna following chronic exposure

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna (water fleas) to fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics over a chronic period and observed adverse sublethal effects. The study suggests that even at concentrations that do not cause outright mortality, fragmented nanoplastics from real-world polyethylene degradation can impair the health and function of these important freshwater organisms.

2026 Environmental Science Advances
Article Tier 2

Tissue translocation, multigenerational and population effects of microplastics in Daphnia magna

This study examined how microplastics are taken up by the water flea Daphnia magna and whether exposure causes multigenerational effects, finding that microplastics can accumulate in body tissues and pass to offspring. The results suggest microplastic pollution poses risks not just to exposed individuals but can affect population health across generations.

2021
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure to nanoplastics reduces life-time in Daphnia magna

Researchers conducted long-term exposure experiments to assess the effects of nanoplastics on the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna over its entire lifetime. The study found that chronic nanoplastic exposure significantly reduced the lifespan of these organisms, demonstrating that while short-term acute toxicity has been documented, the long-term consequences of nanoplastic pollution may be even more concerning for aquatic ecosystems.

2020 Scientific Reports 121 citations
Article Tier 2

A fit-for-purpose categorization scheme for microplastic morphologies

Researchers studied the long-term effects of polypropylene microplastic exposure on the life history traits of the water flea Daphnia magna across three generations, finding progressively increasing reproductive impairment and reduced survival in successive generations. The multigenerational impacts exceeded those observed in single-generation tests.

2022 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure of Daphnia magna to polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) leads to alterations of the proteome, morphology and life-history

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna water fleas to polystyrene microplastics over their full lifespan and found significant changes in body size, reproduction, and the proteome under chronic exposure conditions. The study suggests that long-term microplastic exposure can cause subtle but meaningful physiological disruptions in freshwater organisms, even when short-term effects appear minimal.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer and individual impact of nano-sized polystyrene in a four-species freshwater food chain

Researchers traced nano-sized polystyrene plastics through a four-species freshwater food chain — from algae to water fleas to two fish species — finding that nanoplastics transferred at each level and caused reduced activity, liver damage in fish, and penetration into fish embryos. The results highlight the broad ecological and health risks of nanoplastics moving up through aquatic food webs.

2018 Scientific Reports 454 citations
Article Tier 2

Transgenerational effects and recovery of microplastics exposure in model populations of the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna Straus

Researchers tracked the effects of microplastic exposure across four generations of Daphnia magna and found that reproductive impairment and growth reductions persisted into offspring generations that were never directly exposed. The study suggests that microplastics can cause transgenerational effects in freshwater organisms, though partial recovery was observed when exposure ceased.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 228 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic impact of polystyrene microplastic particles in freshwater organisms

Researchers tested the toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics on four freshwater species including algae, rotifers, crustaceans, and ostracods. They found that water fleas were the most sensitive, with chronic effects appearing at very low concentrations, and that microplastics caused both DNA damage and increased production of reactive oxygen species. The study highlights that even at relatively low concentrations, microplastics can pose a meaningful threat to freshwater ecosystems.

2022 Chemosphere 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinctive toxic repercussions of polystyrene nano plastic towards aquatic non target species Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp and Daphnia magna

Researchers tested polystyrene nanoplastics across a wide concentration range against three aquatic species and found dose-dependent toxicity in all three — inhibiting nitrifying bacteria growth, reducing algal protein and chlorophyll, and killing water fleas — revealing broad ecological hazard across trophic levels.

2024 Ecotoxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Shape, size, and polymer dependent effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna

Researchers systematically tested how the shape, size, and material of microplastic particles affect the water flea Daphnia magna by comparing polystyrene particles to non-plastic control particles with similar properties. They found that small polystyrene beads and fragments caused harmful effects on reproduction and body shape, while none of the non-plastic control particles caused any damage. The study suggests that the toxic effects are specific to the plastic polymer itself, not simply a result of ingesting small particles.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics inhibit reproduction and induce abnormal embryonic development in the freshwater crustacean Daphnia galeata

Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia galeata to polystyrene nanoparticles and observed significant decreases in survival, reproduction, and embryonic development. Using fluorescence microscopy, they tracked the particles as they transferred from external body surfaces to internal organs including the ovaries and brood chamber. The study also found that exposed adults had fewer and smaller lipid droplets, suggesting that nanoplastics disrupt energy storage and reproductive capacity in these organisms.

2017 Scientific Reports 247 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic fiber-induced transgenerational epigenetic disruption impairs fitness in Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the multi-generational effects of microplastic fiber exposure on the water flea Daphnia magna across three generations. They found that microplastic fibers negatively affected reproduction and survival, and these effects persisted into unexposed generations through epigenetic changes. The study reveals that microplastic pollution may cause lasting harm to aquatic populations through inherited biological alterations, not just direct exposure.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic Affects Growth ofS. obliquusand Reproduction ofD. magna

Researchers tested the effects of nanoplastics on freshwater algae and tiny water fleas, two organisms at the base of aquatic food chains. They found that nano-polystyrene particles reduced algae growth through physical binding to cell surfaces and inhibited reproduction in water fleas at concentrations as low as 30 milligrams per liter. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can harm freshwater organisms at multiple levels of the food web, even at relatively low concentrations.

2014 Environmental Science & Technology 1098 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of nanoplastics and elevated temperature in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics became more toxic to water fleas (Daphnia magna) at higher temperatures, causing more oxidative stress and a greater drop in reproduction. Warmer conditions increased how much plastic the organisms absorbed and accumulated. The findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic life could get worse, potentially affecting species that are important food sources for fish.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 40 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Micro- and nanoplastic effects on the reproduction of Daphnia spp. – a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis pooled data from 369 measurements to assess how micro- and nanoplastics affect reproduction in Daphnia water fleas, a key species in freshwater ecosystems. The results showed that smaller particles, irregular shapes, and certain polymer types caused greater reproductive harm. Since Daphnia are a foundational species in freshwater food webs, their reproductive decline from plastic exposure could cascade through ecosystems that provide drinking water and food.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxic Effects of Nano Plastic on Freshwater plankton (Scenedesmus obliquus and Daphnia magna)

Researchers tested whether nanoplastic polystyrene particles affect the growth of green algae and the reproduction of water fleas in the lab. They found growth inhibition in algae at high doses and reproductive effects in water fleas, with the route of exposure (dissolved in water versus eaten with food) significantly influencing the severity of effects.

2014 Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling 2 citations
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