Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Comparison of primary microplastics from Cartagena Bay and their toxicological evaluation using "Caenorhabditis elegans" as a biological model

Microplastics sampled from Cartagena Bay in Colombia were characterized and tested for toxicity using the roundworm C. elegans as a model organism. The particles caused oxidative stress and reproductive harm, raising concerns about how marine microplastics could affect organisms—including humans—that consume contaminated seafood.

2021 ISEE Conference Abstracts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Effects on Reproduction and Body Length of the Soil-Dwelling Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers compared the effects of conventional low-density polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable polymer microplastics on reproduction and body length in the soil nematode C. elegans. The study found that microplastic exposure affected these organisms, highlighting that even biodegradable plastics may pose risks to soil-dwelling invertebrates and that terrestrial microplastic toxicity deserves greater research attention.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 138 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution on Colombian Central Caribbean beaches

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of microplastic contamination on Colombia's Central Caribbean Coast beaches, documenting MP types, sizes, and polymer compositions for the first time in that region and finding primarily secondary microplastics from fragmented larger debris.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic pollution along the Caribbean coast of La Guajira, Colombia

Researchers conducted the first assessment of microplastic pollution along 125 km of the Caribbean coast of La Guajira, Colombia. They found microplastics at four of seven beaches sampled, with filaments from fishing activities predominating and polymers primarily consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution on sandy beaches of Puerto Rico

Researchers sampled sand from six northern beaches of Puerto Rico to determine microplastic abundance and composition, documenting the extent of microplastic pollution on Caribbean island coastal beaches that are considered biodiversity hotspots.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics pollution on the abundance and composition of interstitial meiofauna

Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in beach sediments negatively affected the abundance and community composition of meiofauna at lower intertidal levels on urban Colombian beaches, with microplastics explaining 39% of community variation in the most heavily impacted zone.

2023 Revista de Biología Tropical 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in bivalves: First assessment in three coastal lagoons of the colombian caribbean, south america

Researchers conducted the first assessment of microplastic contamination in bivalves from three coastal lagoons, examining filter-feeding mollusks that concentrate suspended particles from surrounding waters. Microplastics were detected in bivalve tissues across all sites, establishing baseline contamination levels in these coastal ecosystems.

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

Plastic litter pollution along sandy beaches in the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Colombia

Researchers surveyed plastic litter pollution on 43 beaches along Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coasts, documenting the types and quantities present and calling for locally adapted management strategies.

2020 Environmental Pollution 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in bivalves: First assessment in three coastal lagoons of the colombian caribbean, south america

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in bivalves from three coastal lagoons, finding that filter-feeding species readily accumulate particles from surrounding water and sediment. The study characterized particle types and polymer compositions across different lagoon environments.

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

Microplastic Occurrence in Relation to Sediment Granulometry Along the Central Caribbean Coast of Colombia

Scientists found tiny plastic pieces in beach sand along Colombia's coast, with amounts similar to polluted beaches worldwide. The type of sand affects how much plastic builds up - beaches with certain sand textures tend to collect more plastic pollution. This matters because microplastics can enter the food chain through sea life and potentially affect human health when we eat contaminated seafood.

2026
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characterization of microplastics on sandy beaches along the coastal area of Belize

Researchers quantified and characterized microplastic abundance on sandy beaches along the coastal zone of Belize, establishing baseline contamination data for a region of Central America and the Caribbean where such pollution assessments are critically lacking.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Review Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in coastal areas of Colombia: Review

This review summarized the state of microplastic research in Colombia's coastal areas, finding that Caribbean coasts are most contaminated with secondary polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics in sediments, and that 7% of 302 fish species sampled contained microplastics, while noting a lack of standardized methods across studies.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water and fish of commercial interest: Distribution and relation to ecology in the colombians caribbean region, south america

Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination in surface waters and the gastrointestinal tracts of commercially important and invasive fish species along the Colombian Caribbean coast and San Andrés Island, examining the relationship between microplastic distribution and species ecology and geography.

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

Plastic pollution in marine ecosystems: spatiotemporal assessment in beach sediments of protected coastal areas

Researchers conducted a spatiotemporal assessment of plastic pollution including microplastics in beach sediments across 13 beaches in marine protected areas in Colombia and the Canary Islands, Spain, evaluating plastic debris under varying environmental conditions in ecologically sensitive coastal zones.

2025
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of microplastics on earthworms: A critical review

This critical review of 65 publications summarized the adverse effects of microplastics on earthworms, finding impacts on growth, behavior, oxidative stress, gene expression, and gut microbiota, with particle size, concentration, and co-occurring pollutants influencing toxicity outcomes.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Species-specific effects of long-term microplastic exposure on the population growth of nematodes, with a focus on microplastic ingestion

Scientists conducted long-term microplastic exposure experiments on freshwater nematode species and found species-specific effects on population growth, with ingestion rates and harm varying substantially across species despite identical exposure conditions.

2020 Ecological Indicators 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics: Impacts in a marine-coastal environment of the Colombian Caribbean

Researchers surveyed microplastic presence in a marine-coastal environment in Colombia, characterizing particle abundance, polymer types, and size distribution in water and sediment samples. Fibres dominated the samples, with polyester and nylon the most common polymers, pointing to synthetic textile washing as a key local source.

2024 Global Journal of Ecology
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics by free-living marine nematodes, especially Enoplolaimus spp., in Mallipo Beach, South Korea

Scientists found that marine nematodes—tiny worms living in beach sediments in South Korea—ingested microplastics, with some species taking up more than others. This shows microplastics are entering the base of marine food webs through sediment-dwelling organisms, potentially affecting entire ecosystems.

2021 Plankton and Benthos Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water and fish of commercial interest: Distribution and relation to ecology in the colombians caribbean region, south america

Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination in surface waters and the gastrointestinal tracts of two commercially important fish species and one invasive species along the Caribbean coast of Colombia's Atlantico department and San Andres Island, relating distribution patterns to the ecology and geographic range of each species.

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

The impact of microplastic on nematodes: Soil type, plastic amount and aging as determinants for the fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers tested how two types of microplastics, conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA/PBAT, affected tiny soil worms called nematodes across different soil types. Conventional plastic at high concentrations reduced worm reproduction and growth, while the biodegradable plastic caused no harm. Importantly, as microplastics aged in the soil over time, their negative effects worsened, suggesting the long-term impact of plastic pollution in agricultural soil may be greater than short-term studies indicate.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyester microplastic fibers affect soil physical properties and erosion as a function of soil type

Researchers investigated the effects of polystyrene microplastics on the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, finding reduced reproduction, altered locomotion, and increased expression of stress-response genes at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2022 SOIL 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Their Impact on Reproduction—Can we Learn From the C. elegans Model?

This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics can harm reproductive systems in animals, causing oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular damage that disrupts normal reproductive function. Researchers highlight that these particles can also carry endocrine-disrupting chemicals that further compound reproductive risks. The study proposes using the nematode C. elegans as an efficient model organism for rapidly screening the reproductive effects of plastic particles.

2022 Frontiers in Toxicology 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Food availability is crucial for effects of 1-μm polystyrene beads on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in freshwater sediments

Researchers found that the effects of polystyrene microplastics on the nematode C. elegans in freshwater sediments depended critically on food availability, with negative impacts on reproduction only emerging under low-food conditions.

2022 Chemosphere 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastic contamination in the digestive tract of fishes from mangrove ecosystem in Cispata, Colombian Caribbean

Scientists examined the digestive tracts of fish from mangrove ecosystems in Cispata, Colombian Caribbean, finding microplastics in multiple species and suggesting that mangrove habitats concentrate microplastic pollution in ways that expose fish inhabiting these nursery areas.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 114 citations