Papers

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Article Tier 2

Ingestion and adherence of microplastics by estuarine mysid shrimp

Researchers investigated how estuarine mysid shrimp ingest and accumulate microplastics both internally and on their external body surfaces. The study found microplastics in the shrimp's bodies and fecal pellets, and feeding experiments revealed that these organisms readily consume plastic particles, raising concerns about microplastic transfer through marine food webs.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological traits influence the bioaccumulation of microplastics in commercially important estuarine crabs from the southeastern Gulf of Mexico

Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in two commercially important estuarine crab species in the Gulf of Mexico varied significantly based on ecological traits such as feeding behavior and habitat use, with gills and digestive tracts showing higher contamination than muscle tissue.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 30 citations
Article Tier 2

The Ecological Implication of Microplastic in Crabs from a Tropical Lagoon: Ingested Microplastic in Mud Crab Scylla serrata

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion by crabs from a tropical lagoon in West Africa, quantifying particles found in digestive tissues and assessing ecological implications for the local ecosystem. Widespread microplastic ingestion was documented across crab species and size classes.

2024 Water 6 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Macroecotoxicological approaches to emerging patterns of microplastic bioaccumulation in crabs from estuarine and marine environments

Smaller, shorter-lived crabs and those from estuarine intertidal/muddy habitats accumulated significantly more microplastics, with burrowing species holding more particles than omnivorous ones. Crabs at lower latitudes -- likely due to mangrove trapping effects -- and non-human-consumed species showed higher microplastic loads, with colorless PA, PP, and PET fibers (1-5 mm) predominating.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and translocation of microplastics in tissues of deposit-feeding crabs (Grapsoidea, Ocypodoidea) in Kochi estuary, Japan

More than half of 116 intertidal crabs collected from a Japanese estuary contained microplastics, with PET fragments dominating and particles concentrated primarily in the gut. Smaller deposit-feeding crab species carried a higher microplastic burden relative to body weight than larger omnivorous species, showing that feeding behavior and body size both shape how much plastic wildlife accumulates in contaminated estuaries.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in Corpus Christi Bay blue crabs,Callinectes sapidus

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) from Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, finding microplastics in crab stomachs and identifying fragment and fiber morphologies associated with sediment ingestion during benthic foraging. The study documents microplastic exposure in a commercially and ecologically important estuarine crustacean in the Gulf of Mexico.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantity and types of microplastics in the organic tissues of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica and Atlantic mud crab Panopeus herbstii from a Florida estuary

Eastern oysters and mud crabs from a Florida estuary were found to contain microplastics in their soft tissues, with fibers as the dominant type, while water samples confirmed ongoing microplastic inputs from the surrounding watershed. The study documents microplastic bioaccumulation in both a commercially important bivalve and a key benthic predator in a US Atlantic coast estuary.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Feeding behavior is the main driver for microparticle intake in mangrove crabs

Scientists investigated microplastic ingestion by crabs in mangrove ecosystems and found that feeding behavior was the primary driver of particle uptake, with deposit-feeding crabs accumulating more microplastics than filter feeders, underscoring the role of behavioral traits in determining microplastic exposure.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Can fiddler crab bioturbation activity in situ modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments and the influence on their bioaccumulation?

Researchers examined fiddler crab (Minuca rapax) bioturbation in mangrove sediments of the southern Gulf of Mexico, finding that crab burrowing activity concentrated microplastics in burrow sediments and that the characteristics of microplastics ingested by the crabs reflected those found in burrows, with the degree of bioturbation-driven MP concentration varying with local urbanization levels.

2022
Article Tier 2

Slow and steady hurts the crab: Effects of chronic and acute microplastic exposures on a filter feeder crab

Researchers found that chronic low-concentration microplastic exposure over five months caused significant metabolic and nutritional damage to filter-feeding crabs, while acute high-concentration exposure showed no effects, highlighting the importance of long-term exposure studies.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Can the Atlantic ghost crab be a potential biomonitor of microplastic pollution of sandy beaches sediment?

Researchers tested the Atlantic ghost crab as a biomonitor for beach microplastic pollution, finding that the types of microplastics in crab gut contents closely mirrored those in beach sediment — confirming sediment as the main ingestion source — but that the crab's broad diet made it an unreliable indicator of overall contamination levels across beaches with different urbanization.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation via trophic transfer: Can a predatory crab counter the adverse effects of microplastics by body defence?

Trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics were studied in a predatory crab to examine whether predation from lower trophic levels contributes to microplastic body burden. The study found that the crab accumulated microplastics through both filter feeding from water and consumption of contaminated prey, suggesting that higher trophic predators cannot fully avoid microplastic exposure through dietary selectivity.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 182 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the presence of microplastics in fiddler crabs (Afruca tangeri) and sediments of the salt marshes of Cadiz Bay (Spain).

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in fiddler crabs and surrounding coastal sediments, finding plastic particles in both organisms and their habitat. The results demonstrate that microplastics are integrated into coastal invertebrate food webs through both direct ingestion and sediment contact.

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

The Mud Crab Buffet: Microplastics pollution in Scylla Serrata from Kota Mangroves

Researchers recovered 264 microplastic particles from the guts of mud crabs (Scylla serrata) collected from mangroves in Karnataka, India, averaging about 29 particles per crab, with polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, and polyester being the dominant plastics. A hazard index assessment rated the microplastic contamination as a severe risk to the crabs, underscoring the threat to mangrove ecosystems and the seafood that humans consume from them.

2024
Article Tier 2

Effect of salinity on microplastic accumulation and osmoregulatory toxicity in the fiddler crab Minuca rapax

Researchers studied how water salinity affects the accumulation and toxicity of polyethylene microplastics in fiddler crabs from mangrove environments. They found that microplastics accumulated most heavily in the gills, and that salinity levels influenced both how much plastic the crabs absorbed and how it affected their ability to regulate body fluids. The study reveals that environmental salt conditions play an important role in determining how harmful microplastics are to estuarine organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the presence of microplastics in fiddler crabs (Afruca tangeri) and sediments of the salt marshes of Cadiz Bay (Spain).

This study assessed microplastic presence in fiddler crabs and sediments from coastal environments, where plastic accumulation can disrupt the fauna that depends on these habitats. Microplastics were found in both the crabs and surrounding sediments, indicating contamination throughout the coastal food web.

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

Accumulation and damage of polyethylene-microplastics to the digestive system of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp exposed through feed

Researchers fed juvenile Pacific white shrimp diets containing polyethylene microplastics at varying concentrations for 28 days. While survival and growth were not affected, microplastics accumulated in the digestive system and caused tissue damage to the hepatopancreas and intestine, suggesting that even without visible growth effects, microplastic ingestion can cause internal harm to commercially important crustacean species.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence in gills and digestive tract tissues of blue crabs collected from the Persian Gulf coast

Researchers documented microplastics in the gills and digestive tracts of blue crabs from coastal waters, finding MP particles of diverse types and sizes in both tissues and assessing implications for human health from consuming these commercially important crustaceans.

2025 Environmental Health Engineering and Management
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics in sympatric species with different ecological habits that inhabit a highly impacted area of Baixada Santista

Researchers quantified microplastic contamination in sediment, water, and tissues (gills, muscle, hepatopancreas, and digestive tract) of three sympatric mangrove crab species with different ecological habits in the highly impacted Baixada Santista estuary, Brazil. The study found microplastic accumulation across all sampled matrices and examined physiological effects in Goniopsis cruentata, Aratus pisonii, and Minuca rapax, demonstrating how feeding behavior and habitat use influence microplastic body burden in crustaceans.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Blue Crab (Portunus pelagicus) Caught by Bandaran, Bangkalan Fishermen at Different Sizes

This Indonesian study found microplastics in the digestive tracts of blue swimming crabs from Bangkalan waters, with larger crabs ingesting more particles. The results raise food safety concerns because blue swimming crabs are commercially important and widely consumed in Indonesia.

2023 Symposium of Biology Education (Symbion) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt hermit crab shell selection

Researchers tested whether microplastic exposure impairs shell selection in common European hermit crabs and found that crabs pre-exposed to microplastics were less likely to investigate and enter appropriate shells, suggesting microplastics can disrupt essential survival behaviors.

2020 Biology Letters 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic accumulation in the hepatopancreas of marine and freshwater crabs from the North-East Part of the Bay of Bengal

Researchers compared microplastic contamination in the hepatopancreas of three edible crab species from the Bay of Bengal region, including two marine species and one freshwater species. They found that the freshwater crab had the highest microplastic counts, averaging nearly four particles per sample, and identified nine different polymer types across all species. The findings raise concerns about human exposure to microplastics through seafood consumption in the region.

2025 Environmental Research Communications 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of mangrove restoration on microplastic bioaccumulation in fiddler crabs across degraded, restored, and natural ecosystems

Researchers compared microplastic accumulation in fiddler crabs across degraded, restored, and natural mangrove ecosystems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. They found that mangrove restoration influenced the amount and types of microplastics that accumulated in the crabs and surrounding sediment. The study suggests that restoring mangrove habitats may help reduce microplastic exposure for the organisms living within them.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution characteristics of aged microplastics in the surface water, sediment, and crabs of the aquaculture pond in the Yangtze River Delta of China

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in crab aquaculture ponds in China, finding particles in the water, sediment, and crab tissues. The crabs' intestines contained the most microplastics, followed by gills and liver, and contamination levels increased with body weight. Since these crabs are raised for human consumption, the study shows that farmed seafood can be a direct source of microplastic exposure for people.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 81 citations