Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of perfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics on the sentinel species Daphnia magna: Implications for freshwater ecosystems

This study tested how PFAS chemicals (common industrial pollutants) and PET microplastics affect water fleas, both alone and together. The combination caused worse developmental and reproductive problems than either pollutant alone, and organisms with prior chemical exposure history responded differently, showing that microplastics can amplify the harm of other environmental contaminants in ways that are difficult to predict.

2024 Environmental Pollution 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The synergistic effect of mono and co-exposure of microplastic suspensions on Daphnia magna’s survival, population density, reproduction rate & swimming behavior.

When water fleas (Daphnia magna) were exposed to mixtures of HDPE, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics together, the combined toxicity was substantially greater than any single polymer alone, with the mixture LC50 dropping to 77 mg/L compared to 109–123 mg/L for individual plastics. This synergistic effect — reducing survival, reproduction, and normal swimming behavior — is an important finding because organisms in nature encounter mixtures of plastic types, not just one at a time.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Study of the toxicological effects of emerging contaminants on Daphnia similis associating polyethylene microplastics with the agrochemical imidacloprid.

Brazilian researchers tested the ecotoxicological effects of combining polyethylene microplastics with the insecticide imidacloprid on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia, finding combined exposures were more toxic than either pollutant alone. These results suggest that microplastics and pesticides together pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than studies of single pollutants indicate.

2023 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, microplastics, and their mixtures on Daphnia magna

Researchers tested the acute toxicity of triclosan, caffeine, nanoplastics, and microplastics individually and in mixtures on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that nanoplastics were more toxic than microplastics, and mixtures of these pollutants with triclosan or caffeine produced varying levels of combined toxicity. The study highlights that environmental pollutants rarely occur in isolation, and their mixtures may have unpredictable effects on aquatic organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the combined toxic effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro/nano-plastics on Daphnia magna under environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers explored the combined toxic effects of the flame retardant tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that co-exposure to both pollutants altered gene expression related to stress responses, suggesting that the combined presence of these emerging contaminants may pose greater risks to aquatic organisms than either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and pesticides on Daphnia

Researchers investigated the combined and individual impacts of microplastics and pesticides on Daphnia magna, a model crustacean widely used in freshwater ecotoxicology, to assess how these co-occurring pollutants affect aquatic ecosystem health. The study examined survival, reproduction, and physiological responses in D. magna exposed to varying concentrations of both stressors under controlled conditions.

2025 Fisher Digital Publications (St. John Fisher College)
Article Tier 2

Toxic Effects of Ester Based Polymers on Daphnia Magna: a Laboratory Microcosm Study

Researchers assessed the acute and chronic toxicity of polycarbonate, PET, and polybutylene terephthalate microplastics on Daphnia magna, finding EC50 values of 2.6, 4.7, and greater than 100 mg/L respectively at 72 hours, with physiological effects observed even at low immobilization rates. The study demonstrates that ester-based polymer microplastics differ substantially in their toxicity to freshwater zooplankton.

2022 Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic Beads and Fibers on Waterflea (Ceriodaphnia dubia) Survival, Growth, and Reproduction: Implications of Single and Mixture Exposures

Researchers tested the acute and chronic effects of polyester fibers and polyethylene beads, both individually and as mixtures, on the freshwater zooplankton Ceriodaphnia dubia. Both types caused dose-dependent survival effects in acute exposures, and chronic exposure reduced growth and reproduction even at lower concentrations. The study found that fiber-bead mixtures produced less than additive effects, suggesting the two forms of microplastics interact in complex ways.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 437 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel method for assessing microplastic effect in suspension through mixing test and reference materials

Researchers developed a new testing method to distinguish the toxic effects of microplastics from those of natural particles like clay by mixing them in different ratios and exposing water fleas (Daphnia magna) to the combinations. The study found that polyethylene terephthalate microplastics were significantly more harmful than clay, with toxicity detectable even when microplastics made up just 2.4% of suspended solids.

2019 Scientific Reports 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics modify the toxicity of glyphosate on Daphnia magna

Daphnia magna were exposed to three glyphosate formulations combined with polyethylene microbeads or PET/PA fibers for one week, finding that microplastics altered (mostly reduced) the toxicity of glyphosate depending on formulation and plastic type. The study demonstrates that microplastics can modulate pesticide bioavailability and toxicity in freshwater crustaceans.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Animals: A Case Study on Daphnia

Researchers exposed Daphnia water fleas to ten types of virgin plastic materials (HDPE, LDPE, PA, PVC, PP, PS, TPU, etc.) and measured survival, reproduction, and behavioral endpoints, finding that PVC and certain engineering plastics caused the greatest acute toxicity while softer polyolefins had lower effects.

2025 Journal of Natural Science Review
Article Tier 2

First insight of the intergenerational effects of tri-n-butyl phosphate and polystyrene microplastics to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and the flame retardant tributyl phosphate on water fleas across multiple generations. They found that co-exposure caused more severe impacts on survival, growth, and reproduction than either contaminant alone, with effects persisting into subsequent generations. The study suggests that microplastics carrying adsorbed chemicals may pose compounding risks to aquatic organisms over time.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Virgin and UV-weathered polyamide microplastics posed no effect on the survival and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers found that neither virgin nor UV-weathered polyamide microplastics affected the survival or reproduction of Daphnia magna, suggesting this polymer type poses limited acute toxicity to freshwater zooplankton under tested conditions.

2022 PeerJ 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Different Microplastic Types and Surfactant-Microplastic Mixtures Under Fasting and Feeding Conditions: A Case Study on Daphnia magna

Daphnia magna were exposed to PP, PE, PVC, and PVC/PE microplastics alone and mixed with surfactants under fasting and feeding conditions, with results showing that homo-agglomeration of plastic particles caused mortality and immobilization, PVC combined with surfactant was most toxic, and food presence reduced effects. The study demonstrates that microplastic type, surface chemistry, and food availability all interact to determine ecotoxicity.

2019 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics on the Growth, Reproduction and Survival of Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to polyvinyl chloride microplastics at different concentrations, alone and combined with two algal food sources, and measured growth, reproduction, and survival. PVC microplastics reduced fecundity and survival in a dose-dependent manner, with food source type modulating the severity of toxicity effects.

2025 International Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sentinel freshwater models, Daphnia, Zebrafish and unicellular green algae: A systemic review

Researchers reviewed 68 studies on how microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals") affect freshwater organisms like Daphnia, zebrafish, and algae, finding that both contaminants are more toxic at chronic low doses than in short-term exposures, and that combining them tends to amplify harm — while noting almost no research has studied them together.

2025 Environmental Pollution and Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Action of Surfactants in Driving Ecotoxicity of Microplastic-Nano Metal Oxides Mixtures: A Case Study on Daphnia magna under Different Nutritional Conditions

This study tested how surfactants (found in detergents and cleaning products) interact with microplastics and metal oxide nanoparticles to affect the toxicity of these combined pollutants on water fleas (Daphnia magna). Surfactants increased the toxicity of microplastic-nanoparticle mixtures, and the effect varied with the age and nutritional status of the test organisms. This highlights how the complex real-world mixture of pollutants in waterways can be more harmful than any single contaminant alone.

2021 IntechOpen eBooks 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Ecotoxicology of microplastics in Daphnia: A review focusing on microplastic properties and multiscale attributes of Daphnia

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics affect Daphnia, a key organism in aquatic food webs, across individual, population, and community levels. Researchers found that the toxicity of microplastics to Daphnia depends heavily on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, and that combined exposure with other pollutants can produce more severe effects. The study highlights Daphnia as an important indicator species for understanding how microplastic pollution cascades through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos to Daphnia magna

This study examined the combined effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and chlorpyrifos pesticide on Daphnia magna, a standard aquatic toxicity test organism. The two contaminants together caused greater mortality and reproductive impairment than either alone, suggesting synergistic toxicity.

2024 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

An Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Impact of Microplastics on Daphnia magna using Acute and Chronic Toxicity Endpoints with a Focus on Stress Behaviour

Laboratory tests on Daphnia magna (a key freshwater zooplankton) found that polyethylene microbeads alone at environmentally realistic concentrations did not cause significant harm, but when combined with the antimicrobial chemical triclocarban, microplastics appeared to increase toxicity. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers that enhance the effects of co-pollutants even when the plastics themselves seem harmless in isolation.

2023
Article Tier 2

An Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Impact of Microplastics on Daphnia magna using Acute and Chronic Toxicity Endpoints with a Focus on Stress Behaviour

Laboratory tests on Daphnia magna (a key freshwater zooplankton) found that polyethylene microbeads alone at environmentally realistic concentrations did not cause significant harm, but when combined with the antimicrobial chemical triclocarban, microplastics appeared to increase toxicity. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers that enhance the effects of co-pollutants even when the plastics themselves seem harmless in isolation.

2023 1 citations