Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An assessment of the ability to ingest and excrete microplastics by filter-feeders: A case study with the Mediterranean mussel

Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to spherical polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations and examined for tissue-level effects and ingestion/egestion dynamics, with smaller particles showing greater retention and histological changes in digestive tissue. The study provides detailed pathophysiological evidence that MP size governs both retention time and the severity of tissue-level effects in marine filter feeders.

2018 Environmental Pollution 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Depuration kinetics and accumulation of microplastics in tissues of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

This study tracked how mussels take in, accumulate, and eventually expel microplastics of different sizes over time. Larger microplastics accumulated more in the gills and digestive gland, while smaller particles spread more widely through the body. Since mussels are popular seafood eaten whole, understanding how they retain microplastics helps estimate how much plastic people may be consuming through shellfish.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of nano/micro plastic particles by the mussel Mytilus coruscus is size dependent

Researchers investigated how the thick shell mussel Mytilus coruscus ingests plastic particles of different sizes, ranging from 70 nanometers to 100 micrometers. They found that smaller particles were ingested in greater quantities and accumulated primarily in the digestive tract, while particles also translocated to the mantle tissue over time. The study demonstrates that plastic particle ingestion by mussels is strongly size-dependent, with smaller particles posing a greater accumulation risk.

2020 Chemosphere 124 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the uptake, elimination and accumulation of microplastics in mussel

Researchers investigated how mussels take up, eliminate, and accumulate high-density polyethylene microplastics smaller than 22 micrometers. They found that mussels cleared microplastics at the same rate as similarly sized food particles, but smaller particles (under 6 micrometers) were retained much longer in the digestive gland. After six days of depuration, about 85 percent of ingested microplastics were eliminated, but 2 to 6 percent remained embedded in digestive tissue, indicating that small microplastics can accumulate in filter-feeding organisms.

2019 Environmental Pollution 163 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Freshwater Biology 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and egestion of polystyrene microplastic fragments by the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Researchers investigated size-specific ingestion and egestion of polystyrene microplastic fragments by Pacific oysters, finding that oysters can ingest and later expel microplastics, with the process varying by particle size.

2022 Environmental Pollution 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of food presence on microplastic ingestion and egestion in Mytilus galloprovincialis

The presence of the microalga Dunaliella salina as food significantly reduced egestion of polyethylene microplastics in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, with a single feeding episode preventing over 40% of MPs from being expelled over 24 hours. The finding suggests food presence causes microplastics to persist longer in mussel tissues, increasing exposure duration.

2019 Chemosphere 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Determining the Properties that Govern Selective Ingestion and Egestion of Microplastics by the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Researchers examined how particle properties govern selective ingestion and egestion of microplastics by blue mussels and eastern oysters, finding that bivalves selectively process different microplastic types based on physicochemical characteristics and size.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 36 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics during uptake and depuration phases in a blue mussel exposure system

A controlled exposure system tracked the fate of polystyrene microplastic beads in blue mussels during uptake and depuration phases, showing that mussels accumulated beads in the digestive gland and that depuration cleared most but not all particles over 24 hours. The mass balance approach provides a rigorous method for quantifying microplastic retention in bivalves.

2018 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic of small polyethylene microplastics (≤10 μm) in mussel's tissues

Mussels were exposed to a single dose of irregularly shaped HDPE particles (mainly ≤10 μm) followed by 7-day depuration, with particles accumulating in the digestive gland and gills over time and smaller fractions (≤4 μm) showing translocation from the digestive system to the gills. The study demonstrates that the smallest microplastic fractions persist longer and translocate to secondary tissues in bivalves.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics in Freshwater Bivalves

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in the freshwater mussel Dreissena polymorpha using polystyrene spheres of various sizes. They found that mussels rapidly ingested microplastics and that body burden was influenced by exposure time, body size, food abundance, and microplastic concentration, providing important baseline data on how freshwater bivalves interact with microplastic pollution.

2021 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of size continuum from nanoplastics to microplastics on marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposure scenarios

Researchers compared the effects of nanoplastics versus microplastics on marine mussels using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, finding that smaller plastic particles caused greater cellular and physiological impacts across the size continuum.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of microplastics on intestinal microbiome for Perna viridis

Researchers found that the size of microplastic particles determines how they change the gut bacteria of green mussels, with the smallest particles causing the most disruption to beneficial bacteria and promoting potentially harmful species. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, changes to their gut health and the bacteria they carry could affect human food safety.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Selective Ingestion and Egestion of Plastic Particles by the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica): Implications for Using Bivalves as Bioindicators of Microplastic Pollution

Blue mussels and eastern oysters were found to selectively ingest and egest microplastic particles based on size and composition, with both species showing preferences that differed from random ingestion. The selective behavior affects how reliably these bivalves can be used as bioindicators of microplastic pollution, since their gut contents may not proportionally reflect ambient plastic concentrations.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 336 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics uptake and egestion dynamics in Pacific oysters, Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793), under controlled conditions

Pacific oysters were exposed to polystyrene microplastics under controlled conditions to characterize uptake, egestion via faeces, and rejection via pseudofaeces, finding that ingestion increased with MP concentration while pseudofaeces was the dominant clearance route. The study quantifies the dynamics of MP retention in a commercially important bivalve and highlights the potential for MP entry into the human food chain.

2019 Environmental Pollution 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to low-density polyethylene microplastic particles: presence in Mytilus edulis tissues and pseudofeces

Researchers exposed blue mussels to low-density polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations for up to 56 days and found particles in gills, intestinal lumens, and digestive tissues. Mussels also expelled plastic particles in their pseudofeces, demonstrating both uptake and a partial clearance mechanism for microplastic exposure in filter feeders.

2020 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo)
Article Tier 2

Size-Based Ingestion of Microspheres and Microfibers by Two Freshwater Mussel Species (Dreissena bugensis and Elliptio complanata): Implications for Removal of Microplastic Particles from Aquatic Systems

Researchers investigated size-based ingestion of microspheres and microfibers by two freshwater mussel species, the quagga mussel Dreissena bugensis and Elliptio complanata, to evaluate their potential for removing microplastics from aquatic systems. They found that ingestion and rejection patterns varied by particle shape and size, with implications for using suspension-feeding bivalves as natural microplastic filters.

2025 Journal of Shellfish Research
Article Tier 2

The gut retention time of microplastics in barnacle naupliar larvae from different climatic zones and marine habitats

This study tested how quickly barnacle nauplius larvae from different climatic zones and habitats ingested and expelled microplastic beads, finding that gut retention time varied by larval size and microplastic size. Understanding how long microplastics remain in zooplankton guts is important for assessing how much plastic is transferred up the food chain through feeding.

2020 Environmental Pollution 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to Polymethylmethacrylate Microplastics Induces a Particle Size-Dependent Immune Response in Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers found that polymethylmethacrylate microplastics induced size-dependent immune responses in Mediterranean mussels, with 10-micrometer particles causing greater immunomodulatory effects than 50-micrometer particles on hemocyte function and inflammatory markers.

2022 Fishes 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolic responses of the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis after exposure to microplastics of different shapes and sizes

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to microplastics of different shapes and sizes and found that round particles and small fibers accumulated the most in mussel tissues. These same particle types caused the most significant metabolic changes, altering amino acid processing and vitamin pathways. The findings suggest that the shape and size of microplastics play an important role in determining how much harm they cause to marine filter-feeding organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis as a Biomonitor for Microplastic Pollution

Researchers assessed the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis as a bioindicator for microplastic pollution, focusing on improving quantification of small microplastics below 25 µm that conventional methods miss. Mussels were found to accumulate microplastics efficiently across size ranges, validating their use as biomonitors while highlighting the need for improved analytical methods.

2025
Article Tier 2

Size dependent egestion of polyester fibres in the Dublin Bay Prawn (Nephrops norvegicus)

Researchers investigated the retention and egestion of polyester microplastic fibres in three sizes (3, 5, and 10 mm) in the Dublin Bay Prawn (Nephrops norvegicus) under controlled laboratory conditions. They found that fibre egestion was size-dependent, with larger fibres retained for longer periods — 10 mm fibres requiring a minimum of 96 hours to egress — providing the first controlled data on MP fibre retention in this commercially important crustacean.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Capture, ingestion, and egestion of microplastics by suspension-feeding bivalves: a 40-year history

This review examines 40 years of research on how suspension-feeding bivalves capture, ingest, and egest microplastic particles. Researchers highlight that bivalves can actively select among particles based on size, shape, and surface properties both before and after ingestion, a capability often overlooked in recent microplastic studies. The paper argues that understanding these particle-sorting mechanisms is essential for accurately assessing microplastic exposure levels, toxic effects, and the potential for trophic transfer to humans who consume shellfish.

2019 Anthropocene Coasts 185 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of size-fractionation on toxicity of marine microplastics: Enhanced integrated biomarker assessment in the tropical mussels, Perna viridis

Researchers studied how different sizes of polystyrene microplastics (0.5, 5, and 50 micrometers) affect toxicity in tropical green mussels. The study found that smaller microplastics caused greater bioaccumulation and more severe toxic effects, including oxidative stress and tissue damage, indicating that size is a critical factor in determining microplastic toxicity in marine organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations