Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Interactions between dissolved organic matter and the microbial community are modified by microplastics and heat waves

Researchers studied how microplastics and heat waves together affect the relationship between dissolved organic matter and microbial communities in river water. They found that microplastics released their own organic compounds that reshaped microbial communities, and heat waves amplified these effects by altering carbon cycling. The study suggests that the combination of plastic pollution and climate-related temperature extremes may disrupt natural water carbon cycles more than either stressor alone.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial carbon metabolism patterns of microplastic biofilm in the vertical profile of urban rivers

Researchers examined how microbial carbon metabolism in microplastic biofilms varies vertically through the water column of urban rivers, where plastic particles sink and accumulate at different depths. Biofilm metabolic function and community composition changed significantly with depth, suggesting that vertical transport of microplastics through the water column shapes distinct microbial carbon cycling niches in urban river ecosystems.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling in coastal marine sediments

Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastic contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling processes in coastal marine sediments, examining how co-occurring stressors interact to alter microbial carbon processing. The study found that microplastics and elevated temperatures associated with marine heatwaves produced interactive effects on sediment carbon cycling, demonstrating that these two anthropogenic pressures cannot be adequately assessed in isolation.

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

Combined effects of microplastics contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling in coastal marine sediments

Researchers conducted a 21-day manipulative experiment to test the combined effects of microplastic contamination and simulated marine heatwave conditions on carbon cycling in temperate coastal marine sediments, measuring changes in organic matter quantity, composition, and carbon degradation rates. They found that the simultaneous occurrence of microplastics and elevated temperatures produced distinct effects on sedimentary organic matter processing compared to either stressor alone.

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

Microplastics Reshape the Fate of Aqueous Carbon by Inducing Dynamic Changes in Biodiversity and Chemodiversity

Researchers found that microplastics reshape aqueous carbon cycling by releasing chemical additives that inhibit autotrophic bacteria, promoting CO2 emissions, and stimulating microbial metabolic pathways that transform dissolved organic matter into more stable, less bioavailable forms.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct microbial metabolic activities of biofilms colonizing microplastics in three freshwater ecosystems

Biofilms growing on microplastics in three freshwater ecosystems showed distinct patterns of carbon metabolism compared to biofilms on glass, with PET-colonizing biofilms showing lower metabolic diversity. Environmental factors like nutrient levels and turbidity also shaped biofilm function, suggesting microplastics alter microbial-mediated carbon cycling in rivers and lakes.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of warming and microplastics on metabolism but not feeding rates of a key freshwater detritivore

Freshwater detritivores were exposed to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations under two temperature conditions to separate and combine effects, finding that warming and microplastics interacted to significantly increase metabolic rates but had no combined effect on feeding rates. The results highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors when assessing freshwater organism responses to microplastics under climate change.

2019 Environmental Pollution 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic is an Abundant and Distinct Microbial Habitat in an Urban River

Researchers demonstrated that microplastic surfaces in an urban river host a microbial community that is distinct from surrounding water and sediment communities, establishing microplastic as an abundant and ecologically distinct habitat for river microorganisms.

2014 Environmental Science & Technology 1428 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and benthic animals reshape the geochemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter by inducing changes in keystone microbes in riparian sediments

Researchers found that microplastics and benthic animals together reshape the geochemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter in riparian sediments. The study revealed that both stressors altered keystone microbial communities, leading to changes in how organic matter is processed in river ecosystems, with implications for pollutant behavior and nutrient cycling.

2024 Environmental Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and behavioural responses of aquatic organisms to microplastics and experimental warming

Researchers tested how microplastic exposure combined with different water temperatures affected the breathing, feeding, and movement of two common freshwater invertebrates. They found that while temperature had strong effects on all measured behaviors, microplastics caused additional changes in feeding rates and movement patterns that varied between species. The study highlights that the biological effects of microplastics may be amplified or altered under warming climate conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic particles on carbon source metabolism and bacterial community in freshwater lake sediments

A microcosm experiment tested how four common plastic types affect carbon metabolism and bacterial communities in freshwater lake sediments, finding that microplastics disrupted microbial carbon cycling and altered community composition.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interconnected impacts of water resource management and climate change on microplastic pollution and riverine biocoenosis: A review by freshwater ecologists

Researchers reviewed how river hydrology, water resource management, and climate change interact to influence microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems. They found that floods can flush microplastics from catchments, while reservoirs act as both sinks and sources, and extreme weather events driven by climate change tend to concentrate microplastics and threaten aquatic organisms. The study highlights a critical gap in research that jointly addresses these interconnected factors and calls for integrated policy approaches.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrodynamics regulates microbial degradation of microplastics by modulating bottom-up and top-down effects in a river-lake confluence zone

Researchers examined how hydrodynamic conditions in river-lake confluence zones regulate microbial degradation of microplastics by modulating bottom-up and top-down effects within multi-trophic microbial communities.

2025 Water Research
Article Tier 2

The combined effects of ocean warming and microplastic pollution on marine phytoplankton community dynamics

Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastic pollution and rising ocean temperatures on tiny marine plants called phytoplankton. While microplastics alone had minimal impact at current temperatures, when combined with warmer water conditions, phytoplankton biomass dropped by 41% and diversity fell by nearly 39%. The study suggests that climate change may dramatically amplify the harmful effects of microplastic pollution on the ocean organisms responsible for a significant portion of global carbon capture.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 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

Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments

Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.

2020 Environmental Pollution 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution amplified by a warming climate

Researchers examined the connection between climate change and plastic pollution, finding that rising temperatures accelerate plastic degradation and microplastic generation, meaning that as the planet warms, the microplastic problem is likely to get worse faster.

2024 Nature Communications 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Do microplastics and climate change negatively affect shredder invertebrates from an amazon stream? An ecosystem functioning perspective

Researchers experimentally tested the combined effects of microplastic pollution and climate change conditions on the survival and feeding behavior of an Amazonian freshwater shredder invertebrate. The study suggests that the combination of microplastic exposure with increased temperature and CO2 levels can negatively affect these organisms, with implications for leaf litter decomposition and ecosystem functioning in tropical streams.

2023 Environmental Pollution 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Climate change and microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems: ecological and societal consequences

This review examines how climate change amplifies the ecological and societal impacts of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The study suggests that rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and altered precipitation patterns accelerate plastic fragmentation and dispersal, creating compounding effects on water quality, biodiversity, and coastal communities.

2026 Frontiers in Science
Article Tier 2

Microbial community niches on microplastics and prioritized environmental factors under various urban riverine conditions

Researchers manipulated organic content, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in bioreactors to assess which environmental factors most strongly shaped microbial communities colonizing microplastics in urban rivers. Dissolved oxygen and organic carbon content were identified as priority drivers of plastisphere community composition, with implications for predicting pathogen enrichment on MPs across river conditions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations