Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Long-term adverse effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna reproduction and population growth rate at increased water temperature and light intensity: Combined effects of stressors and interactions

Researchers investigated how increased water temperature and light intensity affect the long-term toxicity of microplastics to the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastics caused mortality, reduced growth, and decreased reproduction across all conditions, but these effects were significantly worsened by both higher temperature and brighter light. The study suggests that climate change factors may synergistically amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on freshwater zooplankton.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 82 citations
Article Tier 2

The thermal regime modifies the response of aquatic keystone species Daphnia to microplastics: Evidence from population fitness, accumulation, histopathological analysis and candidate gene expression

Researchers found that temperature plays a key role in how toxic microplastics are to the water flea Daphnia magna. Microplastic exposure caused increased mortality, reduced reproduction, and slower population growth, with these negative effects becoming much more pronounced at higher temperatures. The study suggests that warming water temperatures due to climate change may amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Interacting effects of simulated eutrophication, temperature increase, and microplastic exposure on Daphnia

This study examined the interacting effects of simulated eutrophication (increased cyanobacteria from 5% to 95% of food), temperature increase (+3 degrees C), and microplastic exposure on Daphnia in freshwater systems. Multiple stressors combined in ways that differed from single-stressor experiments, underscoring the complexity of predicting ecological outcomes from simultaneous environmental pressures.

2020 Environmental Research 47 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

Data for: Interacting effects of simulated eutrophication, temperature increase, and microplastic exposure on Daphnia

This dataset supports a study on how combined stressors - simulated eutrophication, elevated temperature, and microplastic exposure - affect the water flea Daphnia magna. Life-history parameters including survival, reproduction, growth, and fatty acid content were recorded across experimental treatment groups.

2024
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

Combined effect of microplastics and tire particles on Daphnia magna: Insights from physiological and transcriptomic responses

Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastics and tire particles on the water flea Daphnia magna, finding that the mixture triggered significant oxidative stress at environmentally relevant concentrations. Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of antioxidant and metabolic stress genes, while energy reserves like glycogen were affected. The study suggests that co-exposure to these common freshwater pollutants may pose greater ecological risks than either particle type alone.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Warming temperatures exacerbate effects of microplastics in a widespread zooplankton species.

This study found that warmer water temperatures made microplastics significantly more harmful to Daphnia (water fleas), reducing their survival and reproduction at 20 and 24 degrees Celsius but not at 12 degrees. The combination of warming temperatures and microplastic pollution was worse than either stressor alone. As climate change warms lakes and rivers, this research suggests that the toxic effects of microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems, and the food chains humans depend on, may get worse.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term and long-term effects of microplastics and organic UV-filters on the invertebrate model species Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to polystyrene microplastics, a mixture of UV-filter chemicals found in sunscreens, or both over 21 days. The microplastics alone reduced body size and reproduction, while combined exposure with UV-filters further impaired swimming behavior and offspring production. The study highlights that microplastics and common personal care product chemicals can interact to create compounding negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone affects Daphnia magna depending on the developmental stage

Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastics and the plant-derived compound 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on Daphnia magna, which represents a freshwater ecosystem stress scenario. Co-exposure produced effects that differed from either stressor alone, highlighting the importance of studying pollutant mixtures.

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

Co-exposure of microplastics and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone affects Daphnia magna depending on the developmental stage

Researchers examined the combined effects of microplastic exposure and the naturally occurring chemical 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on Daphnia magna, investigating how plastic particles interact with an invasive species-linked chemical stressor in freshwater. Co-exposure produced different effects than either stressor alone, illustrating how microplastics complicate toxicity in multi-stressor freshwater environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Combined effects of nanoplastics and elevated temperature in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics became more toxic to water fleas (Daphnia magna) at higher temperatures, causing more oxidative stress and a greater drop in reproduction. Warmer conditions increased how much plastic the organisms absorbed and accumulated. The findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic life could get worse, potentially affecting species that are important food sources for fish.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of warming and microplastics on metabolism but not feeding rates of a key freshwater detritivore

Freshwater detritivores were exposed to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations under two temperature conditions to separate and combine effects, finding that warming and microplastics interacted to significantly increase metabolic rates but had no combined effect on feeding rates. The results highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors when assessing freshwater organism responses to microplastics under climate change.

2019 Environmental Pollution 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in population fitness and gene co-expression networks reveal the boosted impact of toxic cyanobacteria on Daphnia magna through microplastic exposure

Researchers found that exposing the water flea Daphnia magna to both toxic cyanobacteria and microplastics together produced worse health effects than either stressor alone, reducing population fitness and altering gene expression patterns. The study suggests that as plastic pollution and harmful algal blooms increasingly overlap in lakes and rivers, aquatic organisms may face compounding threats that are greater than the sum of their parts.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure from individual to populational levels of a benthic copepod

This study examined the combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure on aquatic organisms from the individual to the population level, investigating how these two co-occurring stressors interact. Warming amplified some microplastic effects, suggesting that climate change will exacerbate the ecological consequences of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

The Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Microparticles on Individual Fitness in Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the effects of natural and anthropogenic microparticles on the fitness of the water flea Daphnia magna. The study found that both primary microplastics from cosmetic products and secondary microplastics from degraded plastic waste can have detrimental effects on zooplankton feeding and fitness, with particle shape and weathering influencing toxicity.

2016 PLoS ONE 463 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to hypoxia and nanoplastics leads to negative synergistic oxidative stress-mediated effects in the water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to both hypoxia (low oxygen) and nanoplastics simultaneously, finding that combined stressors act synergistically to amplify oxidative stress and cause more severe reproductive and growth impairment than either stressor alone, mediated by HIF-1α, NF-κB, and MAPK pathways.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Multigenerational effects of elevated temperature on host-microbiota interactions in the marine water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis exposed to micro- and nanoplastics

Researchers studied the combined effects of ocean warming and micro- and nanoplastic exposure on the marine water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis across multiple generations. They found that the combination of these stressors caused reproductive failure by the second generation and significantly altered the animals' gut microbiota, with increases in predatory bacteria. The study reveals how environmental stressors can interact to produce compounding multigenerational harm in marine organisms.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic adverse effects of microfibers and freshwater acidification on host-microbiota interactions in the water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated how microfiber pollution combined with freshwater acidification affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that acidic conditions caused the organisms to ingest more microfibers, leading to reduced reproduction, slower growth, and shifts in the balance of gut bacteria toward more harmful species. The study demonstrates that climate-related water acidification can worsen the biological impacts of microplastic pollution.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Short- and long-term single and combined effects of microplastics and chromium on the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of microplastics and chromium on the water flea Daphnia magna in both short- and long-term experiments. They found that microplastics interacted with chromium, reducing its concentration in water, and that co-exposure caused acute toxicity but lacked the chronic effects seen with chromium alone. The study suggests that microplastics may alter the bioavailability and toxicity of metal pollutants in freshwater environments.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure from individual to populational levels of a benthic copepod

This study assessed the combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure on freshwater and marine organisms across individual and population levels, examining how climate and plastic pollution interact as co-occurring stressors. Results showed that warming conditions modified microplastic toxicity in ways that suggest climate change will alter the ecological risk of plastic pollution in aquatic systems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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