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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics as Pollutants In Aquatic Ecosystems Across South Carolina
ClearFate, abundance and ecological risks of microcystins in aquatic environment: The implication of microplastics
This review explores how microplastics in water can interact with microcystins, highly toxic compounds produced by harmful algal blooms, by adsorbing and transporting them through aquatic environments. The combination poses increased risks to human health because microplastics can carry these dangerous toxins into drinking water sources and through the food chain.
Sorption of the common freshwater cyanotoxin microcystin to microplastics
Researchers demonstrated that microplastics from freshwater environments can adsorb the harmful algal bloom toxin microcystin onto their surfaces, potentially concentrating the toxin and altering its environmental fate. This finding suggests that microplastics in lakes with cyanobacterial blooms may act as carriers for toxins that affect fish, wildlife, and humans.
Uncovering the potential effect of microplastics on Alexandrium pacificum: From the perspective of cyst formation and toxin production
Microplastics were found to influence the growth and toxin production of Alexandrium (a harmful algal bloom species), with effects depending on plastic type and concentration. This raises concerns that microplastic pollution could alter the frequency or severity of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters.
Toxic plastisphere: How the characteristics of plastic particles can affect colonization of harmful microalgae and adsorption of phycotoxins
Researchers found that microplastic particles in water can serve as surfaces for harmful algae to grow on and for algae-produced toxins to stick to. Smaller and sun-aged microplastic particles absorbed more toxins than larger or newer ones, meaning the most common microplastics in the environment may carry the greatest risk. This matters for human health because contaminated microplastics could transfer harmful algal toxins into seafood and drinking water.
Microplastics in aquatic environments: detection, abundance, characteristics, and toxicological studies
This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastics in water environments, covering how they are detected, how abundant they are, and what toxic effects they have on living organisms. Microplastics are found throughout aquatic systems and can accumulate in organisms while also spreading other pollutants through the environment. The authors emphasize that more attention should be paid to microplastics in freshwater and organisms closely linked to human food sources, as well as toxicity studies in mammals.
Potentially Poisonous Plastic Particles: Microplastics as a Vector for Cyanobacterial Toxins Microcystin-LR and Microcystin-LF
Researchers demonstrated for the first time that microplastics can act as vectors for cyanobacterial toxins called microcystins, concentrating the toxins up to 28 times from water onto plastic surfaces. The adsorption process depended on particle size, plastic type, pH, and the specific microcystin variant. The findings raise concerns about microplastics transporting harmful algal toxins through aquatic food webs to higher trophic levels.
Progress in the Study of Toxic Effects of Microplastics on Organisms in Freshwater Environments and Human Health
This review summarizes the toxic effects of microplastics on algae, aquatic animals, and human health in freshwater environments. Microplastics harm freshwater organisms through oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of normal biological functions, with effects that can accumulate up the food chain. The study highlights the urgent need for better plastic waste management to protect both freshwater ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them.
Adsorption of cyanotoxins on polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate: Microplastics as vector of eight microcystin analogues
Eight microcystin analogues were tested for adsorption onto polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics, finding that these common plastics can bind cyanotoxins from freshwater environments. The study identifies microplastics as potential vectors for cyanobacterial toxins in lakes and reservoirs, with implications for drinking water safety.
Combined toxicity of nanoplastics and microcystin-LR to sulfate-reducing bacteria and the underlying mechanisms
Researchers exposed freshwater aquaculture microcosms to polyethylene nanoplastics and the algal toxin microcystin-LR, finding that nanoplastics strongly adsorb the toxin and that combined exposure disrupts sulfur cycling bacteria more severely than either contaminant alone, raising ecological concerns for aquaculture water quality.
Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review of Ecotoxicological Effects, Exposure Pathways and Trophic Transfer Risks
This review synthesises evidence on the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in marine, freshwater, and estuarine environments, covering ingestion, bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and physiological harms across aquatic fauna. It identifies chemical co-contamination and particle size as key modulators of toxicity.
Microcystin bound on microplastics in eutrophic waters: A potential threat to zooplankton revealed by adsorption-desorption processes
Researchers studied adsorption and desorption of the cyanotoxin microcystin onto microplastics in eutrophic freshwater and found that microplastics can act as vectors carrying bound cyanotoxins to zooplankton, enhancing toxin transfer through the food web beyond what free toxin exposure alone would predict.
The Inhibition of Microcystin Adsorption by Microplastics in the Presence of Algal Organic Matters
Researchers found that polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics can adsorb microcystin MC-LR from water, but the presence of algal intracellular organic matter (IOM) reduced this adsorption by up to 22.7% due to competitive binding, suggesting that microplastic uptake of harmful natural toxins is likely overestimated in realistic aquatic conditions.
Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Ecotoxicity, Detection & Remediation
This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic sources, ecotoxicity, detection methods, and remediation strategies in aquatic environments. Researchers found that microplastics act as carriers for toxic chemicals and pose threats to both marine and freshwater ecosystems as well as human health through drinking water exposure. The study highlights the need for improved detection technologies and effective remediation approaches to address this growing environmental challenge.
Evaluating physiological responses of microalgae towards environmentally coexisting microplastics: A meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of 52 studies found that microplastics inhibit microalgal growth and photosynthesis and induce oxidative damage, though microalgae can recover over time. Cyanobacteria are more vulnerable than green algae, and the relative size of microplastics to algal cells governs the mechanism of impact, while aged versus pristine microplastics have opposite effects on extracellular polymeric substance and microcystin production.
Microplastics benefit bacteria colonization and induce microcystin degradation
Polystyrene microplastics in a microcosm experiment facilitated bacterial colonization and promoted the degradation of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin, with the plastisphere community showing distinct metabolic activity compared to free-living bacteria. The study reveals that microplastic biofilms can unexpectedly accelerate detoxification of co-occurring harmful algal bloom toxins.
Ecological risk analysis and prediction of microplastics' effects on Microcystis aeruginosa in freshwater system: a meta-analysis approach
This meta-analysis found that micro- and nanoplastics can both inhibit and stimulate the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa — a harmful algal bloom cyanobacterium — depending on particle size and degradability. Smaller, degradable plastics tend to promote algal growth, suggesting microplastic pollution could worsen toxic algal blooms in freshwater systems used for drinking water.
A Comprehensive Review on Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Effects on Aquatic Biota
This comprehensive review examines microplastic pollution across freshwater and marine ecosystems and its effects on aquatic organisms. Researchers found that microplastics are abundant in both environments and that nearly all studies reviewed documented uptake by organisms along with alterations in biochemical parameters. The evidence indicates that microplastic contamination is becoming an increasingly serious environmental and health concern for aquatic life.
Microplastic contaminants in the aqueous environment, fate, toxicity consequences, and remediation strategies
This review covers the sources, fate, and toxic effects of microplastic contaminants in aquatic environments, along with current remediation strategies for removing them. Researchers found that microplastics cause various health problems in aquatic organisms and can enter the human food chain through contaminated seafood and water. The study emphasizes the urgent need for improved waste management and novel cleanup technologies to address microplastic pollution in water systems.
Meta-analysis for systematic review of global micro/nano-plastics contamination versus various freshwater microalgae: Toxicological effect patterns, taxon-specific response, and potential eco-risks
A meta-analysis of 1,071 observations found that nanoplastics cause more severe cell membrane damage than microplastics, while microplastics more strongly inhibit photosynthesis in freshwater microalgae. Among polymer types, polyamide caused the highest growth inhibition, polystyrene induced the most toxin release, and diatoms were the most sensitive algal group while cyanobacteria showed exceptional resilience.
Microplastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments: A Comprehensive Review on Distribution, Concentration, Toxicity and Ecological Risks in Southeast Asia
This review covers microplastic distribution, concentration, toxicity, and ecological risks in aquatic ecosystems across Southeast Asia, summarizing the physical and chemical hazards to aquatic organisms including ingestion blockage, bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, and biomagnification.
Microplastic characteristics differentially influence cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom microbial community membership, growth, and toxin production
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics influence the growth and toxin production of harmful algal blooms in freshwater. They found that certain microplastic characteristics, such as shape and polymer type, significantly affected which microbial species thrived and how much toxin was produced. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may play an underappreciated role in worsening harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs.
Micro/nano-plastics and microalgae in aquatic environment: Influence factor, interaction, and molecular mechanisms.
This review examined the interactions between micro/nanoplastics and microalgae in aquatic environments, summarizing how plastic particle size, surface chemistry, and co-pollutants influence algal toxicity through oxidative stress, photosynthesis inhibition, and gene expression changes.
Micro(nano)plastics Prevalence, Food Web Interactions, and Toxicity Assessment in Aquatic Organisms: A Review
This review examines the prevalence of micro- and nanoplastics across aquatic environments and their documented toxic effects on organisms ranging from plankton to fish, including DNA damage, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity. Researchers found clear evidence that these particles transfer through aquatic food webs and can ultimately reach humans through seafood consumption. The study calls for more research into how microplastics carrying multiple contaminants cause combined toxic effects in marine organisms.
Effects of microplastics on typical macrobenthos in sargassum ecosystems
Researchers studied the distribution and toxic effects of microplastics on macrobenthos organisms living in Sargassum seaweed ecosystems. They found that microplastic accumulation in these organisms increased in a concentration-dependent manner, though no significant bioaccumulation was observed up the food chain. The study revealed that microplastics induced oxidative stress and altered intestinal microflora composition in the exposed organisms.