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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of microplastics on bivalves: Are experimental settings reflecting conditions in the field?
ClearMicroplastic exposure studies should be environmentally realistic
Researchers argue that many laboratory studies on microplastic effects use concentrations far higher than what is actually found in the environment, which can lead to misleading conclusions about real-world risks. They call for experiments that better reflect environmental conditions, including realistic particle sizes, shapes, and concentrations. The study emphasizes that more environmentally relevant research is needed to accurately assess the true ecological threat of microplastic pollution.
Constraints and Priorities for Conducting Experimental Exposures of Marine Organisms to Microplastics
Researchers reviewed the design of laboratory microplastic exposure experiments on marine organisms and identified key constraints including unrealistic concentrations, lack of weathered particles, and limited consideration of mixture effects. The study provides guidance on experimental priorities, emphasizing the need for environmentally relevant conditions and standardized methods to produce more reliable and comparable ecotoxicological data.
Gaps in aquatic toxicological studies of microplastics
This paper identifies key gaps in aquatic toxicological studies of microplastics, arguing that most studies use unrealistic concentrations or particle types and calling for more ecologically relevant experimental designs to better assess real-world risks.
Microplastics and nanoplastics toxicity assays: A revision towards to environmental-relevance in water environment
This review evaluates how well current laboratory toxicity tests for micro and nanoplastics reflect real-world conditions in water environments. The authors found that most studies use pristine plastic particles at concentrations far higher than what is found in nature, limiting the relevance of their findings. The paper calls for more environmentally realistic testing approaches to better understand the actual risks of plastic particle pollution.
Studies of the effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms: What do we know and where should we focus our efforts in the future?
This review critically evaluates published research on microplastic effects on aquatic organisms and identifies significant gaps between laboratory experiments and real-world conditions. Researchers found that most studies use polystyrene spheres at concentrations far higher than those found in the environment, while the most common microplastics in nature are fragments and fibers of other polymer types. The study calls for more environmentally realistic experimental designs to better understand the actual ecological risks of microplastic pollution.
Are microplastics impacting shellfish?
Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.
Influence of Microplastics on Freshwater Bivalves (Review)
This review analyzed studies on microplastic uptake, bioaccumulation, and biological effects in freshwater bivalves, which serve as both pollution sentinels and vectors for microplastic entry into food webs. The authors found consistent evidence for particle accumulation causing physiological stress, while calling for more standardized exposure protocols to improve cross-study comparability.
Micro/nanoplastics effects on organisms: A review focusing on ‘dose’
This critical review examined published dose-response data for microplastic effects on organisms, finding that the vast majority of studies used concentrations far exceeding measured environmental levels and calling for greater focus on realistic exposure scenarios to produce ecologically meaningful hazard assessments.
Microplastics in commercial marine bivalves: Abundance, characterization and main effects of single and combined exposure
This review summarizes recent findings on microplastic contamination in commercially valuable marine bivalve species, documenting a wide variety of particle shapes, sizes, colors, and polymer types across multiple species. Researchers found that microplastic exposure, alone or combined with other pollutants, triggers immunological, physiological, behavioral, reproductive, genotoxic, and neurotoxic effects in these organisms. The study calls for harmonized research methodologies to enable better comparison of microplastic contamination levels across studies and regions.
Environmentally relevant microplastic exposure affects sediment-dwelling bivalves
Researchers exposed two species of sediment-dwelling bivalves to polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations and three size classes for four weeks. The study found species-specific responses including reduced body condition and altered burrowing behavior, suggesting that even at environmentally relevant concentrations, microplastics can affect the physiology and behavior of benthic bivalves.
How Relevant Is the Accumulated Research on Commercial Spherical Nano- and Microplastics?
A critical review asked how relevant research using commercial spherical plastic beads (a common lab standard) is to the irregularly shaped microplastics found in real environments. The analysis finds significant mismatches between lab model particles and environmental microplastics, urging more ecologically realistic experimental designs.
Is there any consistency between the microplastics found in the field and those used in laboratory experiments?
This study compared the types of microplastics found in field samples with those used in laboratory toxicity tests, finding major inconsistencies in polymer type, size, and shape. The mismatch raises concerns that most lab-based toxicity studies may not accurately predict the effects of microplastics in real environmental conditions.
A review on microplastics in bivalves: analysis, quantification, and effects
This review synthesized 56 studies on microplastic contamination and effects in bivalves, covering analysis methods, quantification approaches, and biological impacts. The authors found wide variation in reported contamination levels due to methodological differences, and concluded that standardized protocols are urgently needed to assess the food safety and ecological risks of microplastic-contaminated shellfish.
Are we really producing environmentally relevant reference materials for microplastic studies?
This study critically evaluated whether current laboratory-produced microplastic reference materials adequately represent the properties of microplastics found in real environments, examining particle morphology, chemical composition, and surface characteristics. Significant gaps were identified between commercially available reference materials and environmentally relevant particles, limiting the ecological realism of ecotoxicology studies.
Relevant and Realistic Assessments of Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Environment
This paper discusses methodological challenges in microplastic risk assessment, arguing that studies using only clean, uniform lab-prepared particles may not reflect the complex, mixed-type plastic particles actually found in the environment. More realistic experimental conditions are needed to generate data that accurately predicts ecological harm from microplastic pollution.
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This review examines microplastic contamination in coastal and marine environments, focusing on bivalves as sentinel organisms due to their filter-feeding behavior and widespread use as human food, synthesizing evidence on physiological damage across aquatic species and ecological risks from plastic particle transfer through food chains.
Blueprint for the ideal microplastic effect study: Critical issues of current experimental approaches and envisioning a path forward
A double-weighted meta-analysis incorporating both experimental quality and statistical precision found that most published microplastic effect studies depart substantially from ecologically relevant experimental design, particularly in failing to mimic natural environments. The framework provides a quantitative benchmark for improving the rigor and generalizability of future microplastic toxicity research.
Are we really producing environmentally relevant reference materials for microplastic studies?
This study evaluated whether laboratory-produced microplastic reference materials used in research adequately represent the physical and chemical properties of particles found in natural environments. Results found substantial differences between commercially available reference materials and environmentally weathered microplastics, undermining the ecological relevance of studies using pristine materials.
Continuum from microplastics to nanoplastics: effects of size and source on the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana
Researchers exposed the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana to environmentally realistic concentrations of both microplastics and nanoplastics to compare their toxic effects. The study found that particle size influenced toxicity profiles differently in gill and digestive gland tissues, suggesting that nanoplastics may pose distinct ecotoxicological risks compared to larger microplastic particles in estuarine organisms.
Microplastics and plankton: Knowledge from laboratory and field studies to distinguish contamination from pollution
Of 147 publications on microplastics and plankton, 70% were laboratory studies, and field-collected microplastics differed substantially from those used in experiments, making lab-to-field comparisons unreliable; population- and ecosystem-level pollution effects in natural settings remain largely unstudied.
Linking effects of microplastics to ecological impacts in marine environments
This review examines how laboratory-scale findings on microplastic toxicity can be connected to ecological-level impacts in marine environments. Researchers highlight that microplastics affect marine organisms through ingestion, chemical leaching, and by serving as vectors for pathogens and invasive species. The study emphasizes the need for more ecologically realistic experiments to bridge the gap between controlled laboratory studies and real-world environmental conditions.
Towards more ecologically relevant investigations of the impacts of microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems
This review argues that microplastic research in freshwater ecosystems lacks ecological realism, calling for studies that account for realistic exposure concentrations, particle mixtures, and multi-species interactions rather than single-species laboratory tests.
Towards harmonized ecotoxicological effect assessment of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic systems
This review highlights the methodological problems in current microplastic and nanoplastic toxicity research on freshwater organisms, including the use of unrealistic plastic types, poor test designs, and environmentally irrelevant doses. The authors propose a harmonized framework for testing that better reflects real-world conditions, including more realistic particle types and exposure levels. Better standardized research is essential for accurately assessing the true environmental and health risks of micro and nanoplastic pollution.
Marine microplastic: Preparation of relevant test materials for laboratory assessment of ecosystem impacts
Researchers developed methods to prepare environmentally realistic marine microplastic test materials from weathered plastic litter for laboratory ecotoxicology studies, addressing the limitation that most prior research used pristine, homogeneous plastics that do not reflect real-world microplastic complexity.