Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Uptake and Transfer of Polyamide Microplastics in a Freshwater Mesocosm Study

A freshwater mesocosm study tracked the trophic and ontogenetic transfer of polyamide microplastics through an aquatic food web under near-natural conditions, confirming that particles were transferred between prey and predators at multiple levels. The results demonstrate that microplastic transfer through food webs occurs in realistic community settings, not just isolated laboratory tests.

2022 Water 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Exposure Across Trophic Levels: Effects on the Host-microbiota of Freshwater Organisms

Researchers found that exposure to 1 µm microplastic beads and the pesticide deltamethrin caused carry-over reductions in microbiome diversity and abundance across a three-level freshwater food chain of daphnids, damselfly larvae, and dragonfly larvae.

2022 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Dietary uptake, biodistribution, and depuration of microplastics in the freshwater diving beetle Cybister japonicus: Effects on predacious behavior

A freshwater diving beetle was found to accumulate microplastics by eating contaminated zebrafish, with the plastics moving from the fish's body into the beetle's tissues. This shows that microplastics transfer between predators and their prey in freshwater food webs, not just marine ones.

2018 Environmental Pollution 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Glitter ingestion by bromeliad-dwelling macroinvertebrates: implications for freshwater microplastic contamination

Researchers exposed macroinvertebrates living in bromeliad leaf reservoirs to glitter particles as a microplastic proxy, finding ingestion occurred across multiple taxa and that glitter persisted in the gut and environment longer than natural food particles.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in edible aquatic insect Pantala sp. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from rice fields

Researchers detected microplastics in edible dragonfly larvae collected from rice fields, finding an average of 1.34 particles per individual with fragments being the most common type, raising concerns about microplastic transfer through insect-based food chains.

2022 PeerJ 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The significance of trophic transfer of microplastics in the accumulation of plastic additives in fish: An experimental study using brominated flame retardants and UV stabilizers

Researchers found that trophic transfer through food is a more significant route than direct water exposure for fish accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals, including brominated flame retardants and UV stabilizers associated with microplastics.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in freshwater ecosystem: bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in freshwater ecosystems, finding that while ingestion by freshwater organisms is well-documented, biomagnification through food chains remains poorly understood and requires further investigation.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary indoor evidences of microplastic effects on freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates

Researchers exposed caddisfly and mayfly larvae to various microplastic polymers in laboratory experiments and found that caddisflies incorporated microplastics into their rebuilt cases and mayflies preferentially burrowed in microplastic substrates over natural ones. The study suggests that freshwater macroinvertebrates may not perceive microplastics as a direct threat, raising concerns about chronic exposure effects in heavily contaminated waterways.

2021 Scientific Reports 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic exposure across trophic levels: effects on the host–microbiota of freshwater organisms

Researchers examined how microplastic exposure across trophic levels affects the gut microbiota of freshwater organisms, finding that microplastics alter microbial community composition and that effects can transfer through food web interactions.

2022 Environmental Microbiome 29 citations
Article Tier 2

A trophic bridge for bioplastic pollution: transstadial retention and systemic toxicity of polylactic acid microplastics from necrophagous flies ( Chrysomya megacephala ) to secondary consumer beetles ( Tribolium castaneum )

Researchers investigated the trophic transfer of polylactic acid microplastics from necrophagous blowflies to predatory beetles in a simulated food chain. They found that PLA microplastics were retained across the fly's metamorphosis and successfully transferred to the beetle predators, causing multisystemic physiological effects. The study demonstrates that even bioplastics marketed as eco-friendly alternatives can persist through food webs and pose ecological risks to organisms at higher trophic levels.

2026 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts
Article Tier 2

Gathering at the top? Environmental controls of microplastic uptake and biomagnification in freshwater food webs

This review examines the uptake and potential biomagnification of microplastics through freshwater food webs, from primary producers to top predators. Researchers found that while microplastics accumulate in organisms at multiple levels of the food chain, evidence for true biomagnification remains limited and inconsistent. The study identifies key environmental and physical factors that control microplastic exposure pathways and calls for more standardized field studies to resolve whether microplastics concentrate up the food chain.

2020 Environmental Pollution 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Vector Effects: Are Fish at Risk When Exposed via the Trophic Chain?

Three-spined sticklebacks exposed to chlorpyrifos-contaminated microplastics via a trophic chain accumulated the pesticide in their bodies and showed inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity and hyperactivity, a behavioral change that could increase vulnerability to predators. The study confirms that microplastics can deliver contaminants to fish and alter organ distribution of chemicals compared to direct water exposure.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics from mysids to fish greatly exceeds direct ingestion from the water column

This study compared how fish take in microplastics directly from water versus through eating contaminated prey. Researchers found that fish consumed far more microplastics by eating prey organisms that had already ingested plastic particles than by filtering them from the water, highlighting that the food chain is a major route of microplastic exposure for predators.

2021 Environmental Pollution 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of a microplastic mixture differ across trophic levels and taxa in a freshwater food web: In situ mesocosm experiment

Researchers conducted the first in situ mesocosm experiment testing the effects of a microplastic mixture on a freshwater lake food web, spanning multiple trophic levels. The study found that microplastic effects varied across different organisms and trophic levels, providing important community-level evidence that laboratory findings may not fully predict how microplastics impact real aquatic ecosystems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics in an estuarine food chain and the effects of a sorbed legacy pollutant

Researchers investigated microplastic trophic transfer using a model estuarine food chain of tintinnids (single-celled organisms) and larval silversides fish. They found that fish ingested significantly more microplastics through contaminated prey than through direct exposure, and larvae that consumed DDT-treated microspheres showed increased feeding on contaminated prey. Larvae exposed to microplastics had significantly lower body weight after 16 days, demonstrating that trophic transfer is a meaningful route of microplastic exposure with measurable harmful effects.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 166 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of microplastics on trophic interaction strengths and oviposition preferences of dipterans

Microplastic pollution in freshwater environments was found to alter predator-prey interactions and oviposition site preferences in aquatic dipteran insects, with implications for food web structure. The study highlights that microplastics can have indirect ecological effects by interfering with animal behavior and species interactions beyond direct toxicity.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Ejection, ingestion and fragmentation of mesoplastic fibres to microplastics by Anax imperator larvae (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

Dragonfly larvae (Anax imperator) were found to eject, ingest, and physically fragment mesoplastic fibers into microplastic pieces, identifying freshwater insects as potential agents in the environmental breakdown of plastic litter. This unexpected role of invertebrates in plastic fragmentation could contribute to the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems.

2020 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Important ecological processes are affected by the accumulation and trophic transfer of nanoplastics in a freshwater periphyton-grazer food chain

Researchers found that nanoplastics bioaccumulate and transfer trophically in a freshwater periphyton-grazer food chain, affecting fundamental ecological processes and highlighting significant gaps in our understanding of nanoplastic risks in freshwater ecosystems.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer increases the exposure to microplastics in littoral predators

Researchers studied how microplastics move through Baltic Sea food chains from zooplankton to shrimp to prawns in laboratory experiments. They found that predators accumulated microplastics both from the water directly and by eating contaminated prey, with trophic transfer significantly increasing overall exposure. The study suggests that animals higher up the food chain face compounded microplastic exposure from multiple sources.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Infiltration of freshwater food chain by nanoplastics: An examination of trophic transfer and biological impact

Researchers used fluorescent nanoplastics to track how these particles move through a freshwater food chain from algae to water fleas. They found that nanoplastics accumulated more in water fleas through the food chain than through direct water exposure, with positively charged particles infiltrating more readily. The study suggests that foodborne nanoplastic exposure may be a more significant pathway for contamination in aquatic ecosystems than waterborne exposure alone.

2023 Chemosphere 7 citations