Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics uptake and egestion dynamics in Pacific oysters, Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793), under controlled conditions

Pacific oysters were exposed to polystyrene microplastics under controlled conditions to characterize uptake, egestion via faeces, and rejection via pseudofaeces, finding that ingestion increased with MP concentration while pseudofaeces was the dominant clearance route. The study quantifies the dynamics of MP retention in a commercially important bivalve and highlights the potential for MP entry into the human food chain.

2019 Environmental Pollution 71 citations
Article Tier 2

In-situ microplastic egestion efficiency of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica

Researchers found that eastern oysters egested microplastics from their environment at a rate of about one particle per hour through feces, with smaller oysters being more efficient at clearing particles than larger, harvestable-sized individuals.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Determining the Properties that Govern Selective Ingestion and Egestion of Microplastics by the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Researchers examined how particle properties govern selective ingestion and egestion of microplastics by blue mussels and eastern oysters, finding that bivalves selectively process different microplastic types based on physicochemical characteristics and size.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent elimination of ingested microplastics in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers measured gut retention time and long-term egestion of 1, 10, and 90 μm polystyrene microspheres in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, finding that smaller microplastics were excreted quickly but detected intermittently for up to 40 days, while larger particles were slowly excreted in bulk before disappearing.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics in Freshwater Bivalves

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in the freshwater mussel Dreissena polymorpha using polystyrene spheres of various sizes. They found that mussels rapidly ingested microplastics and that body burden was influenced by exposure time, body size, food abundance, and microplastic concentration, providing important baseline data on how freshwater bivalves interact with microplastic pollution.

2021 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 85 citations
Article Tier 2

An assessment of the ability to ingest and excrete microplastics by filter-feeders: A case study with the Mediterranean mussel

Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to spherical polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations and examined for tissue-level effects and ingestion/egestion dynamics, with smaller particles showing greater retention and histological changes in digestive tissue. The study provides detailed pathophysiological evidence that MP size governs both retention time and the severity of tissue-level effects in marine filter feeders.

2018 Environmental Pollution 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of nano- and micro-sized polystyrene beads on larval survival and growth of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.

Polystyrene beads at nano (0.55 um) and micro (10, 100 um) sizes were tested on Pacific oyster larvae, with smaller particles causing greater mortality and growth inhibition at lower concentrations, suggesting nanoplastics pose a higher risk to early bivalve development than microplastics.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Selective Ingestion and Egestion of Plastic Particles by the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica): Implications for Using Bivalves as Bioindicators of Microplastic Pollution

Blue mussels and eastern oysters were found to selectively ingest and egest microplastic particles based on size and composition, with both species showing preferences that differed from random ingestion. The selective behavior affects how reliably these bivalves can be used as bioindicators of microplastic pollution, since their gut contents may not proportionally reflect ambient plastic concentrations.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 336 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion, egestion and physiological effects of polystyrene microplastics on the marine jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum

Researchers investigated how the edible jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum ingests and ejects polystyrene microbeads, finding relatively low ingestion rates but chronic physiological effects at both environmental and predicted microplastic concentrations.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics exposure in European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis: Evaluation of accumulation and depuration under controlled conditions and molecular assessment of a set of reference genes

Researchers evaluated microplastic accumulation and effects in European flat oysters under controlled exposure conditions, examining how filter feeding concentrates plastic particles and whether ingestion impairs oyster health. Exposure resulted in measurable microplastic accumulation in oyster tissue, with effects observed on feeding behavior and physiological condition.

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

Experimental ingestion of fluorescent microplastics by pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, and their effects on the behaviour and development at early stages

Pacific oyster embryos exposed to polystyrene microbeads showed increased developmental malformations at concentrations above 1 milligram per liter, and 3-day-old larvae exposed briefly to the same concentrations ingested particles in their digestive tract and showed reduced swimming speeds. The study highlights early larval stages as particularly sensitive windows for microplastic-induced developmental disruption.

2020 Chemosphere 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of Nanoplastics and Microplastics by Pacific Oyster Larvae

Researchers tested whether Pacific oyster larvae could ingest nanoplastics and microplastics, and what effects this had on their development. They found that larvae consumed plastics as small as 100 nanometers, and exposure to the smallest particles significantly reduced larval growth and survival. The study highlights that the earliest life stages of commercially important shellfish may be especially vulnerable to nanoplastic pollution in coastal waters.

2015 Environmental Science & Technology 588 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of Microplastics in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica in the Chesapeake Bay: The Impact of Different Digestion Methods on Microplastic Properties

Eastern oysters from three Chesapeake Bay sites were found to contain microplastics, with hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide digestion methods yielding the highest recovery rates, while nitric acid produced satisfactory results with better microplastic preservation.

2022 Toxics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Do Polystyrene Beads Contribute to Accumulation of Methylmercury in Oysters?

Researchers studied whether polystyrene microplastic beads contribute to methylmercury bioaccumulation in oysters (Crassostrea gigas), examining the sorption of methylmercury onto plastic beads and evaluating whether ingestion of contaminated beads elevated mercury levels in oyster tissue.

2021 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Realistic environmental exposure to microplastics does not induce biological effects in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

Pacific oysters were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene and polypropylene fragments for 10 days followed by depuration, with microplastics detected in tissues but no significant effects on clearance rate, tissue integrity, antioxidant defense, or DNA damage. The results suggest that realistic environmental concentrations of these larger fragments may not cause measurable biological harm to oysters.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of small microplastics (<100 μm) ingestion by Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas): A novel method of extraction, purification, and analysis using Micro-FTIR

Researchers developed a novel extraction, purification, and micro-FTIR analysis method to detect small microplastics under 100 micrometers in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), confirming ingestion of these smaller particles and finding that existing methods routinely miss this size fraction due to inadequate tissue digestion protocols.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of exposure to microplastics with environmentally relevant shapes and concentrations: Accumulation, energy metabolism and tissue damage in oyster Crassostrea gigas

Researchers exposed oysters to irregularly shaped polyethylene and PET microplastics at two concentrations for 21 days and measured accumulation, energy metabolism, and tissue damage. They found that the microplastics accumulated in oyster tissues, disrupted energy metabolism, and caused histological damage, with effects varying by polymer type and concentration. The study suggests that environmentally realistic microplastic shapes and concentrations can cause measurable harm to commercially important shellfish species.

2020 Environmental Pollution 213 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of deleterious effects of microplastics from aquaculture materials on pediveliger larva settlement and oyster spat growth of Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Researchers exposed Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae and spat to microplastics derived from weathered aquaculture materials and found that both settlement rates and spat growth were significantly reduced, raising concerns about plastic pollution in aquaculture operations.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Oyster reproduction is affected by exposure to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed Pacific oysters to polystyrene microplastics during their reproductive period and found significant impacts on their ability to reproduce. Exposed oysters produced fewer and smaller egg cells and slower-swimming sperm, resulting in fewer offspring that also developed more slowly. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution could threaten the reproductive success of commercially and ecologically important shellfish populations.

2016 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1746 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparisons between ingestion, rejection, and egestion of microbeads by burrowing clams, Meretrix meretrix and Paphia undulata: Implications for health risk of shellfish consumption.

Researchers compared microplastic ingestion, pseudofaeces rejection, and egestion in two burrowing clam species and found that the clams ingested more microbeads than they rejected. Larger microbeads were more likely to be rejected before ingestion, while smaller ones were more readily taken up, with implications for predicting plastic accumulation in bivalve-based foods.

2024 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Oyster as sentinels of recent microplastic contamination: Insights from a transplant experiment

Researchers used oyster transplantation experiments to study how microplastics accumulate and are excreted in sentinel organisms under field-realistic conditions. The study found that bivalves can serve as effective biomonitors of recent microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems. The findings help fill knowledge gaps about the dynamics of microplastic uptake and clearance in marine filter feeders.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of salinity and polystyrene microplastics exposure on the Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas: Oxidative stress and energy metabolism

Researchers studied how salinity levels affect the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in Pacific oysters and found that low salinity reduced microplastic uptake but created complex interactions with oxidative stress and energy metabolism. Smaller microplastics generally caused more biological disruption than larger ones across all salinity conditions. This is important because coastal oyster habitats frequently experience salinity changes, and the findings suggest environmental conditions can alter how harmful microplastics are to shellfish.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata: Novel insights in a marine ecosystem

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata collected from five coastal sites. They found microplastics present in all oyster specimens, with fibers and fragments being the most common types detected. The study highlights how filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate microplastics from surrounding waters, raising concerns about contamination in marine food chains.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and depuration of polyester microfibers by Crassostrea gasar (Adanson, 1757).

Researchers exposed the oyster Crassostrea gasar to environmentally sourced polyester microfibers at 0.5 mg/L and found accumulation in gill and digestive gland tissues, with evidence of clearance after a depuration period, raising concerns about microfiber effects on bivalve aquaculture.

2024 Marine environmental research