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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Uptake routes of microplastics in fishes: practical and theoretical approaches to test existing theories
ClearEffect of biological and environmental factors on microplastic ingestion of commercial fish species
Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in commercially important fish species, evaluating how biological and environmental factors influence ingestion rates across 2,222 individual fish. The study assessed gastrointestinal tract contents to determine the extent and patterns of microplastic contamination. The findings suggest that both species-specific biology and environmental conditions play important roles in determining microplastic ingestion levels in commercial fish.
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.
Trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Identifying critical research needs
This review analyzed the available literature on trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic food webs, identifying key factors — particle size, shape, density, and organism feeding behavior — that determine whether microplastics pass through organisms or accumulate. The authors conclude that biomagnification of microplastics remains poorly understood and requires targeted research.
Predator traits influence uptake and trophic transfer of nanoplastics in aquatic systems–a mechanistic study
Researchers investigated how predator feeding behaviors — such as filter feeding versus active hunting — influence how much nanoplastics (plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer) are taken up and passed up the food chain in aquatic ecosystems. Understanding these pathways matters because nanoplastics consumed by small aquatic animals can accumulate in larger predators, including fish eaten by humans.
Swimming behavior affects ingestion of microplastics by fish
This study found that swimming behavior in juvenile cichlid fish influenced how many microplastics they ingested, helping explain the high individual variation in microplastic burden observed within the same species in the wild. The results suggest behavioral differences contribute to differential exposure risk.
Microplastics exposures of fish: internalization and effects on behavior and growth
This study examined how microplastics affect fish behavior and growth, finding that fish can ingest them but particles pass through the gut relatively quickly with limited effects at tested concentrations. The research highlights challenges in detecting microplastics in aquatic organisms and suggests risk depends heavily on exposure level and particle type.
Study of feeding biology and diet-associated microplastic contamination in selected creek fishes of northeastern Arabian Sea: A multi-species approach
Researchers studied the feeding biology and diet-associated microplastic contamination of selected fish species, finding that feeding habits directly influence the quantity and type of microplastics ingested. The results demonstrate that trophic position and prey preferences are key predictors of microplastic exposure in wild fish.
Capture, swallowing, and egestion of microplastics by a planktivorous juvenile fish
Slow-motion video analysis of a planktivorous fish revealed that it engulfed microplastics using the same feeding mechanism as natural prey, and that particles could be expelled through the gills or swallowed. The study provides mechanistic insight into how fish ingest microplastics and helps explain why particles resembling zooplankton in size and appearance are most commonly found in fish guts.
Does color play a predominant role in the intake of microplastics fragments by freshwater fish: an experimental approach with Psalidodon eigenmanniorum
Researchers examined whether color influences microplastic ingestion by freshwater fish, finding that fish did not selectively ingest microplastics based on color and instead ingested particles indiscriminately, suggesting that visual selectivity is not a primary driver of microplastic uptake in freshwater species.
Variability in the drivers of microplastic consumption by fish across four lake ecosystems
Researchers examined microplastic consumption by three fish species across four lakes in Minnesota and found that ingestion rates varied by species and feeding strategy. Filter-feeding fish consumed microplastics at rates that matched local water contamination levels, while visual feeders did not show the same pattern. The findings indicate that a fish's feeding behavior plays a major role in determining its microplastic exposure.
How do fish consume microplastics? An experimental study on accumulation pattern using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Researchers fed Nile tilapia in controlled lab conditions to study how microplastics accumulate in fish organs. They found that most microplastics came from the fish feed rather than from particles floating in the water, and that the digestive tract accumulated the most particles while muscles, the part humans typically eat, contained the smallest sizes. Twelve different polymer types were identified across the fish tissues.
Effects of microplastics on juveniles of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps): Confusion with prey, reduction of the predatory performance and efficiency, and possible influence of developmental conditions
Researchers tested whether juvenile common goby fish ingest microplastics and whether their presence affects predatory performance. The study found that fish confused microplastics with prey, and that microplastic presence reduced predatory efficiency, with developmental conditions in different estuaries also influencing the fish's ability to distinguish between food and plastic particles.
Ingestion and retention of biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable microplastics in a tropical coral reef fish: The role of chemical and physical characteristics
Researchers examined how biodegradable versus non-biodegradable microplastics are ingested and retained by juvenile tropical reef fish. The study measured how polymer type, particle shape, size, and color influenced ingestion preferences and gastrointestinal transit time. The dataset provides detailed experimental measurements that help clarify which physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics drive their uptake by marine fish.
Ingestion and retention of biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable microplastics in a tropical coral reef fish: The role of chemical and physical characteristics
Researchers investigated how biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics differ in their ingestion and retention by a tropical coral reef fish species. The study assessed how polymer type, particle shape, size, and color influenced the fish's microplastic ingestion preferences and gut transit times. The findings provide experimental data on the physical and chemical characteristics that drive microplastic uptake in marine organisms.
Microplastics do not affect the feeding rates of a marine predator
Researchers exposed a marine predatory fish to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations and measured feeding rate, finding no significant effect on prey capture behavior, suggesting that concerns about microplastics disrupting predator feeding may not apply at current environmental concentrations.
Can Fish Escape the Evolutionary Trap Induced by Microplastics?
Researchers tested three fish species—bass, carp, and goldfish—to quantify how their sensory systems and social context influence microplastic ingestion. Bass responded to visual food cues, carp to olfactory ones, and goldfish relied on oral processing; group size and fasting time altered MP ingestion, showing that species-specific foraging strategies create an evolutionary trap around microplastics.
Microplastic evacuation in fish is particle size‐dependent
Microplastic retention time in fish was found to depend on particle size, with larger particles being evacuated more slowly than smaller ones, providing empirical data to interpret gut burden studies and better understand chronic exposure dynamics.
Toxicity of microplastics in fish: A short review
This short review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic occurrence in fish, covering sources and pathways of ingestion, impacts on fish physiology and behavior, and potential strategies for monitoring and reducing contamination.
Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments may facilitate misfeeding by fish
Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces in freshwater environments facilitates fish misidentification of plastics as food, with the probability of capture increasing significantly as biofilm aging progressed over weeks.
Effect of alternative natural diet on microplastic ingestion, functional responses and trophic transfer in a tri-trophic coastal pelagic food web
Researchers studied how microplastics move through a three-level marine food chain, from zooplankton prey to planktivorous fish, and how the availability of natural food affects microplastic ingestion. When natural food was scarce, organisms consumed more microplastics, and the particles transferred efficiently up the food chain. This study demonstrates that microplastics in the ocean can accumulate through the food web and reach fish species that humans commonly eat.
Is the feeding type related with the content of microplastics in intertidal fish gut?
Researchers compared microplastic ingestion across intertidal fish with different feeding strategies and found that feeding type influenced the amount of plastic found in stomachs. The study suggests that filter feeders and detritivores may ingest more microplastics than active predators, linking ecological role to plastic exposure risk.
Effects of microplastics on the feeding rates of larvae of a coastal fish: direct consumption, trophic transfer, and effects on growth and survival
Researchers tested whether microplastics in seawater affect the feeding rates, growth, and survival of California Grunion fish larvae. They found that microplastics reduced feeding rates and demonstrated that trophic transfer of microplastics from zooplankton to larval fish occurs readily. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may impair early fish development by interfering with feeding behavior and introducing contaminants through the food chain.
Size matters more than shape: Ingestion of primary and secondary microplastics by small predators
Researchers offered irregularly shaped secondary microplastics — fragments more realistic than the perfect spheres used in most lab studies — to small fish and shrimp at natural concentrations, finding that particle size was a stronger predictor of ingestion than shape. The study underscores that lab results using uniform plastic beads may overestimate real-world microplastic uptake in marine food webs.
Fish Ingest Microplastics Unintentionally
Researchers used high-definition and high-speed observation to study how four fish species interact with microplastics during feeding. They found that fish do not actively seek out microplastics but instead passively ingest them, particularly microfibers, while breathing, and some fish exhibited a coughing reflex to reject ingested particles. The study demonstrates that microplastic ingestion in fish is largely unintentional, driven by the physical overlap between feeding and respiration.