Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Cascade dams altered taxonomic and functional composition of bacterioplankton community at the regional scale

Researchers used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate how cascade dams alter bacterioplankton community taxonomy and function at the regional scale in the Shaying River Basin, finding that dam-influenced zones created distinct environments with different community structures and interaction strengths compared to natural river sections.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Anthropogenic land uses shape denitrification-related microbial communities in freshwater river ecosystems

Researchers investigated how anthropogenic land uses (agricultural and urbanized) versus natural land uses shape denitrification-related microbial communities in the Weihe and Hanjiang Rivers in China's Qinling Mountains using deep 16S rRNA gene sequencing of water and sediment samples. Results revealed that land-use type significantly alters the composition and function of nitrogen-cycling microbial communities in freshwater river ecosystems.

2022
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of nitrogen in typical plain river networks and bacterial community response

This study characterized nitrogen types and bacterial community responses across typical plain river networks with different pollution sources (domestic, agricultural, aquaculture), finding that diverse nitrogen speciation in domestically polluted areas drove greater nitrogen cycling gene abundance and more complex bacterial ecological networks.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial variation of microplastics and dissolved organic matter: deciphering their coupled impact on eukaryotic community assembly in the Fen River

Researchers studied the Fen River in China and found that microplastic concentrations were consistently higher downstream, where they disrupted the diversity and stability of eukaryotic (complex-celled) aquatic organisms compared to cleaner upstream sites. The findings show that microplastics interact with dissolved organic matter to reshape river ecosystems, reducing the complexity of ecological networks in more polluted stretches.

2025 Ecological Indicators 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Identifying Microbial Distribution Drivers of Archaeal Community in Sediments from a Black-Odorous Urban River—A Case Study of the Zhang River Basin

This study investigated how urbanization, eutrophication, and heavy metal pollution shape archaeal (ancient microbial) community composition in sediments of blackened, odorous urban rivers. Understanding microbial responses to these stressors helps track the health of aquatic ecosystems heavily impacted by pollution, including microplastics.

2021 Water 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative analysis of microplastic and microbial communities in varied aquatic environments: Disparities in occurrence, interconnections, and ecological implications

Comparative surveys of microplastics and associated microbial communities across river, reservoir, and bay environments in the Dongjiang watershed found that MP abundance and microbial community composition differed significantly by water type, with MP surfaces hosting distinct microbial assemblages.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Toward an intensive understanding of sewer sediment prokaryotic community assembly and function

Researchers characterized prokaryotic communities in sewer sediments across multifunctional, commercial, and residential urban areas using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, finding significant compositional differences linked to land use and nutrient levels. Network analysis revealed the residential area harbored the most complex and stable microbial network, while stochastic processes dominated community assembly across all zones.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Influence of Habitat Heterogeneity and Human Activities on the Distribution of Microbial Diversity in a High Elevation Drop River

This is a freshwater microbiology study characterizing bacterial diversity in the Huotong River across different land-use zones in China; it is not a microplastics research paper.

2023 Diversity 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Stronger Geographic Limitations Shape a Rapid Turnover and Potentially Highly Connected Network of Core Bacteria on Microplastics

Core bacterial communities on microplastics were investigated across river ecosystems, revealing that geographic factors strongly limited microbial sharing between sites and that plastic-associated microbiota turned over rapidly along river gradients. The findings suggest that microplastics in rivers carry largely location-specific bacterial assemblages rather than universally dispersed communities.

2022 Microbial Ecology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Community Structure and Its Influencing Factors in Surface Sediments of the Nyang River in the Dry Season, China

Researchers analyzed bacterial community diversity in surface sediments of the Nyang River in Tibet using high-throughput sequencing, finding that climate warming and human activities along this plateau river have measurably shaped microbial composition and structure.

2023 Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring correlations between microplastics, microorganisms, and water quality in an urban drinking water source

This study explored the relationships between microplastics, microorganisms, and water quality in China's Xiangjiang River, a source of urban drinking water. Researchers found that microplastic levels were higher near urban areas and wastewater plant outlets, and that the smallest particles showed the strongest correlations with microbial community changes, suggesting complex interactions between plastic pollution and river ecosystems.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed how urban river network structures influence microplastic distribution in Nanjing, China, finding that river connectivity patterns significantly affect the spatial variability of microplastic footprints in urban waterways.

2023 Water Research 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Longitudinal patterns of microplastic concentration and bacterial assemblages in surface and benthic habitats of an urban river

This study measured microplastic concentrations and microbial communities in a river from source to mouth, finding that both plastic levels and unique plastisphere bacterial communities increased downstream of wastewater treatment plant outflows. The results identify wastewater discharge as a key driver of both microplastic loading and microbial community shifts in rivers.

2017 Freshwater Science 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Water Bacterial and Fungal Community Compositions Associated with Urban Lakes, Xi’an, China

Bacterial and fungal communities in urban lakes in Xi'an, China were characterized, revealing diverse microbial assemblages influenced by nutrient levels and land use in the surrounding watershed. Understanding the microbial ecology of urban lakes provides context for how microplastic-associated microbial communities might interact with existing water quality challenges.

2018 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Phylogenetic distance–decay patterns are not explained by local community assembly processes in freshwater lake microbial communities

This paper is not about microplastics; it studies how environmental factors and spatial distance drive microbial community composition in freshwater lake water and sediment.

2023 Environmental Microbiology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Linking ecological niches to bacterial community structure and assembly in polluted urban aquatic ecosystems

Researchers examined how ecological niches shape bacterial community structure and assembly in polluted urban water ecosystems. The study found that the specific environmental conditions within different niches play a key role in determining how microbial communities respond to water pollution. These findings have implications for understanding microbial ecology and maintaining aquatic ecosystem health.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterioplankton Community Structure and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Coastal Waters Around the Changli Gold Coast National Nature Reserve in Northern China

Researchers investigated bacterioplankton community structure in coastal waters around a Chinese nature reserve, finding significant seasonal variability in nutrients and identifying key environmental drivers—including nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon—of bacterial community composition.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

Urban non-point source pollutants cause microbial community homogenization via increasing deterministic processes

This study found that non-point source pollutants from urban areas homogenize microbial communities in rivers by increasing the dominance of deterministic processes over random ones. Microplastics from urban runoff are among the non-point source pollutants that can alter aquatic microbial diversity.

2023
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution characteristics of microplastics and bacterial communities in the sediment columns of Jianhu lake in China

Researchers examined microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer types alongside bacterial community composition in sediment columns (0-60 cm depth) of Jianhu Lake, China, finding microplastic concentrations of 624-3050 particles/kg with rayon, PET, and SBS as dominant polymers, and revealing correlations between microplastic characteristics and bacterial community structure via co-occurrence network analysis.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in a typical urban river network in Nanjing, China, using multiple detection methods and the Renkonen similarity index to assess how river infrastructure structures such as dams and sluices influence microplastic spatial variability and footprint from a connectivity perspective.

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

Spatial distribution and vertical characteristics of microplastics in the urban river: The case of Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China

Researchers investigated the spatial distribution and vertical characteristics of microplastics in the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China. The study found an average concentration of about 668 microplastic items per liter, with abundance patterns varying between surface and deep water at different points along the river, and identified correlations between microplastic presence and shifts in microbial community structure.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Stream Microbial Community Structured by Trace Elements, Headwater Dispersal, and Large Reservoirs in Sub-Alpine and Urban Ecosystems

Researchers measured bacterioplankton community composition across rivers from sub-alpine to urban environments in three Utah watersheds over three seasons to quantify the relative roles of environmental conditions, passive dispersal, and human infrastructure (dams) in shaping stream microbial communities. They found that trace element chemistry and headwater dispersal were primary structuring forces, while large reservoirs imposed distinct downstream community signatures.

2020 Frontiers in Microbiology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal changes of bacterial communities during a cyanobacterial bloom in a subtropical water source reservoir ecosystem in China

Researchers used DNA sequencing to track how bacterial communities in a Chinese reservoir changed during different phases of a cyanobacterial (harmful algae) bloom, finding that bacterial diversity dropped significantly during the bloom outbreak and that the composition of communities shifted in distinct ways tied to nutrient levels and temperature. Understanding these microbial dynamics could help water managers predict and control harmful algal blooms that threaten drinking water quality.

2022 Scientific Reports 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial Variations of Aquatic Bacterial Community Structure and Co-Occurrence Patterns in a Coal Mining Subsidence Lake

Bacterial communities in a coal mining subsidence lake and a connected river were characterized spatially, revealing distinct microbial assemblages at different locations. Mining disturbance altered the lake's physical and chemical conditions, which shaped microbial community structure and species interactions. Understanding these communities is important for assessing the ecological recovery potential of post-mining aquatic environments.

2022 Diversity 5 citations