Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic toxicity to embryonic development of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

Researchers assessed the toxicity of both virgin and beach-stranded plastic pellets to sea urchin embryo development. The study found that chemical substances leaching from microplastics into surrounding water caused developmental abnormalities, indicating that microplastics can release harmful compounds that affect marine organisms even without direct ingestion.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 386 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic leachate-induced toxicity during sea urchin embryonic development: Insights into the molecular pathways affected by PVC

Researchers found that chemical leachates from PVC microplastics disrupted sea urchin embryonic development, revealing molecular pathway alterations in skeletal formation and stress responses that highlight a previously underexplored route of developmental ecotoxicity.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Leachate from microplastics impairs larval development in brown mussels

Researchers investigated the toxic effects of chemical leachate from microplastics on brown mussel larvae, rather than direct ingestion effects. The study found that substances leaching from microplastic particles impaired larval development, indicating that microplastics can cause harm even without being physically consumed by marine organisms.

2016 Water Research 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa

This study tested the toxicity of chemicals leaching from plastic pre-production pellets (nurdles) on the embryonic development of animals from all major animal groups, including sea urchins, mussels, worms, and crustaceans. The plastic leachates caused developmental problems across nearly all species tested, including disrupted cell formation, abnormal body shapes, and impaired growth. These findings suggest that plastic pollution could have widespread, potentially devastating effects on marine animal populations that humans depend on for food.

2024 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The toxicity of microplastics and their leachates to embryonic development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Researchers tested the toxicity of PVC microplastics and the chemicals they leach on sea cucumber embryos and larvae. They found that both the particles and their leachates harmed embryo development and larval growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but the leachates were actually more toxic per unit concentration. The study suggests that the chemicals released from microplastics may pose even greater risks to marine organisms than the physical particles themselves.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 24 citations
Article Tier 2

The adverse effects of virgin microplastics on the fertilization and larval development of sea urchins

Researchers tested the effects of virgin microplastics on the fertilization and larval development of a marine organism, finding adverse effects on both fertilization success and larval survival at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2017 Marine Environmental Research 170 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the effect of microplastics on marine invertebrates: the consequence of exposure of sea urchin larvae to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed sea urchin larvae (Paracentrotus lividus) to polystyrene microplastics derived from commercial disposable plates and assessed effects on fertilization, embryogenesis, and larval development, finding significant impairment of early developmental stages at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity of plastic leachates on the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Leachates from new industrial nurdles, beached nurdles, and biobeads caused developmental abnormalities in sea urchin embryos, with chemical analysis identifying a diverse mixture of additives and environmental contaminants in each leachate — providing detailed morphological documentation of plastic leachate developmental toxicity.

2020 Environmental Pollution 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Commercially-derived Microplastics Affect Early Life Stages in Paracentrotus Lividus Sea Urchin

Commercially derived microplastics from everyday plastic products affected early life stages of Paracentrotus lividus sea urchins, reducing fertilization success and larval development rates, with chemical additives leaching from plastic contributing to toxicity beyond particle effects alone.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
Article Tier 2

A Glow before Darkness: Toxicity of Glitter Particles to Marine Invertebrates

Researchers evaluated the toxicity of glitter microplastic particles on marine invertebrate embryos, finding that both green and white glitter types caused developmental abnormalities in sea urchins and mussels, partly due to chemical leachates.

2023 Toxics 11 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the impact of leachates from in-field collected plastics on aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates

Researchers tested chemical leachates from different types of beach-collected plastics on a range of marine organisms and found that fishing nets, hard plastic containers, and trawling rubber were the most toxic. The plastics released over 30 chemical additives, with some causing death or developmental problems in crustaceans, sea urchins, jellyfish, and fish larvae. This study highlights that microplastic pollution harms marine life not just through physical ingestion but also through the toxic chemicals plastics release into the water.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa

Researchers tested the developmental toxicity of plastic pre-production pellet leachates across a wide range of invertebrate species from all major animal superphyla. They found concentration-dependent harmful effects on embryo development, cell specification, and morphogenesis in species from molluscs to cnidarians. The study serves as a proof of principle that increasing plastic concentrations in marine environments could have widespread, potentially catastrophic effects on animal development across many taxonomic groups.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of Microplastic Has Limited Impact on a Marine Larva

Laboratory experiments feeding polyethylene microspheres to sea urchin larvae found that ingestion rates scaled with concentration but that environmentally realistic levels had little effect on growth or survival. The study suggests that current ocean microplastic concentrations pose a limited threat to this marine invertebrate larva, though it calls for broader testing across species.

2013 Environmental Science & Technology 388 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics and ocean acidification on critical stages of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) early development

Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastic pollution and ocean acidification on sea urchin early development, finding that acidified conditions amplified microplastic toxicity, disrupting fertilization, embryo development, and larval growth in Paracentrotus lividus.

2022 Chemosphere 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biodegradable-based microplastics in Paracentrotus lividus Lmk embryos: Morphological and gene expression analysis

Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable microplastics (PLA and PBAT) on sea urchin embryo development and found they caused developmental abnormalities and altered gene expression. Even though these plastics are marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, their breakdown particles still harmed marine organisms during sensitive early life stages. This suggests that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily safe for the environment and may still contribute to microplastic toxicity in the food chain.

2023 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Leachates of micronized plastic toys provoke embryotoxic effects upon sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Researchers tested the toxicity of micronized PVC from colored plastic toys on sea urchin embryos. They found that while virgin PVC polymer was not toxic, the chemicals leaching from colored plastic products caused developmental arrest and morphological abnormalities in the embryos. Different colored plastics showed different levels of toxicity, likely due to varying heavy metal content in the coloring agents, highlighting that plastic additives rather than the polymer itself drive toxicity.

2019 Environmental Pollution 198 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of tire particle leachates on early life stages of keystone sea urchin species

Chemical leachates from tire particles caused developmental abnormalities, stunted growth, and death in the larvae of three species of sea urchins, which are important species in marine ecosystems. The toxic effects were strongly dose-dependent, and zinc along with other metals and organic chemicals were identified as likely culprits. Since tire particles are one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution, this study highlights how the chemicals they release can harm marine life at the base of the food web.

2023 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-induced damage in early embryonal development of sea urchin Sphaerechinus granularis

Polystyrene and PMMA microplastics of various sizes were tested on sea urchin embryos from fertilization to the pluteus larval stage, causing dose-dependent developmental defects, cytogenetic abnormalities, and mitotic disruption, with sperm exposure to both plastic types also producing transmissible damage to offspring. The findings reveal significant developmental, genotoxic, and multigenerational hazards from microplastic exposure in marine invertebrates.

2019 Environmental Research 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion induces asymmetry and oxidative stress in larvae of the sea urchin Pseudechinus huttoni

Researchers exposed sea urchin (Pseudechinus huttoni) larvae to 1–5 µm microplastic spheres and found increased skeletal asymmetry and elevated reactive oxygen species, indicating that MP ingestion causes developmental disruption and oxidative stress during the sensitive larval stage.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics do not increase toxicity of a hydrophobic organic chemical to marine plankton

Sea urchin larvae actively ingested polyethylene microplastics at rates comparable to natural food particles, but co-exposure with a hydrophobic organic contaminant did not increase toxicity compared to contaminant alone. The results suggest that at tested concentrations, microplastics do not significantly amplify the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants to marine plankton.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 71 citations