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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Testate amoebae: a review on their multiple uses as bioindicators
ClearEnvironmental stress promotes the persistence of facultative bacterial symbionts in amoebae
Researchers found that environmental stresses such as microplastic exposure promote the persistence of bacterial symbionts within amoebae, suggesting that pollution conditions may enhance the role of amoebae as environmental reservoirs for potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Suitability of Free-Living Marine Nematodes as Bioindicators: Status and Future Considerations
This review examines how free-living marine nematodes have been used for over 40 years as biological indicators of ocean pollution, particularly for heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Researchers highlight their potential as bioindicators for microplastic contamination, an understudied class of pollutants threatening global biodiversity. The study calls for improved international collaboration and standardized methods to expand the use of these organisms in monitoring marine environmental health.
Development of Microbial Indicators in Ecological Systems
This review examines the use of microorganisms as bioindicators of ecological health across forest, aquatic, desert, plateau, and artificial ecosystems, highlighting their high environmental sensitivity and underutilized potential compared to animal and plant indicators.
Bioindicators of Microplastics
This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of bioindicators for detecting microplastic pollution, covering organisms from bacteria and algae to invertebrates and vertebrates that serve as early warning sentinels for plastic contamination in the environment. The authors assess the methodological approaches for using these bioindicators and their utility for monitoring ecological health in microplastic-affected ecosystems.
Ostracoda and Foraminifera as bioindicators of (aquatic) pollution in the protected area of uMlalazi estuary, South Africa
Researchers used tiny shell-bearing organisms (ostracods and foraminifera) as biological indicators to assess water quality in a protected South African estuary. Despite its protected status, the estuary showed signs of pollution based on the species diversity and health of these indicator organisms. While not focused on microplastics specifically, these biological monitoring methods could be adapted to assess the ecological impact of microplastic pollution in coastal and estuarine environments.
Paramecium bursaria as a Potential Tool for Evaluation of Microplastics Toxicity
The ciliate protozoan Paramecium bursaria was evaluated as a novel model organism for microplastic toxicity testing, showing dose-dependent adverse effects from microplastic exposure at concentrations relevant to aquatic environments. The authors propose P. bursaria as a useful complement to metazoan test organisms for early-tier ecotoxicological screening.
Protists as potential microbial tools for environmental microplastic remediation: a mini review
This mini-review examined the potential of protists—unicellular eukaryotes capable of ingesting plastic microspheres through phagocytosis—as underexplored biological tools for remediating microplastic pollution in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Complex Bilateral Interactions Determine the Fate of Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics and Soil Protists: Implications from a Soil Amoeba
Researchers investigated how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics interact with a soil amoeba (Dictyostelium discoideum). The study found that even environmentally relevant concentrations of nano- and microplastics negatively affected the amoeba's fitness and development. The findings suggest complex bilateral interactions where protists can also influence the fate and distribution of plastic particles in soil environments.
Euglenoid Flagellates in Ecotoxicological Research: Progress and Perspectives
This review examines the use of euglenoid flagellates as model organisms in ecotoxicological research, highlighting their photosynthesis, motility, and orientation responses as sensitive biomarkers for aquatic pollutants including microplastics and chemical contaminants. Researchers found that the unique physiology of Euglena supports a range of acute and chronic assay methods for monitoring adverse impacts in freshwater ecosystems.
Biological indicators to check water quality in plastic-heavy water bodies
This review examines the use of biological indicators for monitoring water quality in environments heavily contaminated with plastics and heavy metals, summarizing recent advances in bioindicator approaches for tracking pollution trends and environmental health effects in plastic-polluted water bodies.
Microplastics in Global Marine Waters and Biota: Effectiveness of Potential Bioindicators in Mirroring Local Pollution Levels
This review assessed the global occurrence of microplastics in marine waters and biota and evaluated the effectiveness of potential bioindicator species for monitoring plastic pollution. The authors find that standardizing bioindicator protocols is essential for tracking the effectiveness of microplastic mitigation efforts.
Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?
Researchers exposed protozoan assemblages to a gradient of microplastic concentrations in marine environments to investigate whether MPs shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization patterns. The results provide insights into how MP pollution alters microbial community structure and the energy transfer roles of protozoa across trophic levels in marine ecosystems.
Ostracoda (Crustacea) as indicators of anthropogenic impacts – A review
This review examines how ostracods, tiny crustaceans found in lakes, rivers, and oceans, can serve as living indicators of water pollution from human activities including heavy metals, pesticides, and nutrient runoff. The authors note that ostracods have barely been studied in relation to microplastic contamination, presenting an opportunity for future research. Since these organisms are sensitive to water quality changes, they could become useful biological tools for monitoring microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Promising indicators for monitoring microplastic pollution
This review evaluated promising biological and ecological indicators for monitoring microplastic pollution, arguing that standardized indicator species and metrics are needed to better track microplastic abundance, distribution, and accumulation in ecosystems.
Microplastic and soil protists: A call for research
This perspective piece calls for research on the effects of microplastics on soil protists — single-celled organisms that play key roles in soil food webs — noting that this group has been completely overlooked in microplastic ecotoxicology studies. The paper argues that understanding protist responses is essential for a complete picture of how microplastic pollution affects soil ecosystem function.
Bivalves with potential for monitoring microplastics in South America
Researchers tested three South American mussel species and found that all of them accumulated microplastics in their tissues, feces, and pseudofeces, suggesting these bivalves can serve as reliable bioindicators — living monitors — for microplastic contamination in coastal waterways.
Soil physical structure drives N-glycan mediated trophic interactions in soil amoebae: Mechanisms and environmental implications.
Soil texture was found to influence how amoeba predation interacts with microplastics and other environmental pollutants in soil, suggesting that physical soil structure shapes the ecological effects of contamination. The findings help explain why microplastic impacts on soil organisms may vary significantly between different soil types and agricultural settings.
Early Detection of Contamination with Microplastics by Changing the Phototaxis of Freshwater Mesozooplankton to Paired Photostimulation
Researchers used changes in phototaxis behavior of aquatic microorganisms as an early detection indicator for microplastic contamination, demonstrating that behavioral assays can provide sensitive, low-cost monitoring of plastic pollution in water.
Quantification and Ecotoxicological Evolution of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystem
This review discusses methods for quantifying microplastics in soil and aquatic sediments and assesses their ecotoxicological effects on invertebrates, plants, and microbes, finding that MPs impair soil function and food web dynamics across concentration ranges commonly found in contaminated environments.
A critical view on microplastic quantification in aquatic organisms
Researchers critically reviewed the methods used to quantify microplastics in aquatic organisms including zooplankton, bivalves, and fish. The study highlights that no standardized methodology exists for measuring microplastic contamination in biota, which makes comparing results across studies difficult and underscores the need for consistent analytical protocols.
Microplastic Contamination: An Introduction to an Emerging Issue
This review examines microplastics as emerging environmental pollutants, covering their persistence in the environment, accumulation in aquatic organisms, and the need for standardized detection and monitoring approaches to address growing contamination concerns.
Assessment of biomarker-based ecotoxic effects in combating microplastic pollution - A review
This review examined the use of biomarker-based ecotoxicological approaches to assess the impacts of microplastic pollution across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. The authors argue that standardized biomarker frameworks are needed to quantify ecological harm from microplastics more effectively.
Testing indicators for biological impacts of microplastics .
Researchers reviewed indicators that could be used to detect biological harm from microplastics in marine organisms, noting that the EU has not yet achieved healthy seas partly due to marine litter. The study examines how different marine organisms—from filter feeders to planktivores—are exposed to microplastics and what measures of biological impact would be most informative.
Can microplastics variability drive the colonization dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments?
Researchers exposed periphytic protozoan communities to five concentrations of microplastics (0-125 mg/L) in controlled marine circulation systems over 21 days and found that colonization dynamics shifted significantly at concentrations above 5 mg/L, with declining species richness and abundance at higher doses. The results suggest periphytic protozoan colonization patterns could serve as a bioindicator for assessing microplastic contamination in marine environments.