Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of food quantity on the ingestion and egestion of MPs with different colors by Daphnia magna

Laboratory experiments with Daphnia magna showed that food availability significantly influenced how many microplastics of different colors the animals ingested and how quickly they were cleared, with food concentration modifying particle accumulation.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by Daphnia magna and its enhancement on algal growth

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion by the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna and its downstream effects on algal growth, finding that the organisms readily ingested microparticles. The study also observed that microplastic exposure indirectly enhanced algal growth, possibly by reducing grazing pressure, suggesting that plastic pollution could alter freshwater food web dynamics.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 398 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene microplastics on Daphnia magna mortality and reproduction in relation to food availability

Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to polystyrene microplastics under varying food availability conditions and found that microplastic impacts on mortality and reproduction were most severe when food was limited. The study suggests that the ecological effects of microplastics on zooplankton are strongly influenced by nutritional status, with food-stressed organisms being more vulnerable to particle ingestion.

2018 PeerJ 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Feeding type and development drive the ingestion of microplastics by freshwater invertebrates

Researchers exposed freshwater invertebrates with different feeding strategies to fluorescent polystyrene microplastics of various sizes and found that all species ingested particles in a concentration-dependent manner. Filter feeders like Daphnia magna consumed the most particles, while feeding type and developmental stage strongly influenced ingestion rates. The study suggests that feeding strategy is a key predictor of microplastic uptake in freshwater food webs, and that younger organisms may be more vulnerable.

2017 Scientific Reports 413 citations
Article Tier 2

Increased food availability reducing the harmful effects of microplastics strongly depends on the size of microplastics

Researchers found that increased food availability reduced microplastic toxicity in the waterflea Daphnia magna, but this protective effect depended strongly on particle size, with the smallest nanoplastics remaining harmful even when food was plentiful.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation Kinetics and Gut Microenvironment Responses to Environmentally Relevant Doses of Micro/Nanoplastics by Zooplankton Daphnia Magna

This study tracked how tiny zooplankton (Daphnia magna) accumulate micro and nanoplastics of different sizes and surface charges at environmentally realistic concentrations. The organisms readily consumed all particle types, with larger and positively charged plastics accumulating the most, and the particles disrupted their gut microbiome. Since zooplankton are a key food source for fish, this accumulation could transfer microplastics up the food chain toward humans.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Is the development of Daphnia magna neonates affected by short-term exposure to polyethylene microplastics?

Daphnia magna neonates ingested polyethylene microplastics within the first 24 hours of exposure but showed no significant effects on mobility or molting, though food availability was a more powerful driver of development than microplastic concentration. The study highlights the importance of accounting for feeding regime when interpreting microplastic toxicity tests.

2020 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Selective ingestion and response by Daphnia magna to environmental challenges of microplastics

Researchers used fluorescent microplastics labeled with aggregation-induced emission markers to investigate how Daphnia magna selectively ingests different types of plastic particles, finding that particle type, size, and surface chemistry influence ingestion patterns and toxicological response.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic burden in Daphnia is aggravated by elevated temperatures

Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex were exposed to 1-micrometer polystyrene spheres at 200 ng per liter under varying food supply and temperature conditions to assess how environmental factors modify microplastic ingestion and harm. Elevated temperature aggravated the burden of microplastic accumulation, suggesting that climate warming may increase microplastic risks to freshwater zooplankton.

2020 Zoology 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of micro- and nanoplastics in Daphnia magna – Quantification of body burdens and assessment of feeding rates and reproduction

Researchers used a quantitative approach to measure how the water flea Daphnia magna ingests and excretes micro- and nanoplastic particles of different sizes. They found that larger 2-micrometer particles were ingested in greater mass than 100-nanometer particles, and that complete excretion did not occur within 24 hours. Chronic exposure reduced feeding rates and reproduction, suggesting that ongoing microplastic exposure could have meaningful ecological consequences for these important freshwater organisms.

2017 Environmental Pollution 536 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Reproduction and Growth of Freshwater Live Feeds Daphnia magna

Researchers found that microplastic exposure negatively affected reproduction and juvenile growth in Daphnia magna, a key freshwater zooplankton species, with effects worsening at higher concentrations and posing risks for aquatic food chains.

2022 Fishes 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Daphnia magna's Favorite Snack: Biofouled Plastics

Researchers investigated how biofouling affects Daphnia magna ingestion rates of microplastics from wastewater effluent and fresh surface water. They found that D. magna consumed significantly more biofouled microplastics than virgin microplastics, with the effect seven times greater for surface-water biofilm versus a twofold increase for effluent biofilm, suggesting biofouling substantially increases plastic uptake by freshwater zooplankton.

2022 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution of microplastics in water bodies causes sublethal effects and changes in Daphnia magna swimming behaviour

Researchers found that sinking microplastics caused sublethal effects in Daphnia magna, reducing swimming velocity and altering behavior, with vertical distribution in the water column posing risks to both pelagic and benthic filter feeders.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Food availability is a critical factor in microplastic toxicity testing using Daphnia magna

Researchers tested how food availability influences the toxicity of microplastics to water fleas, a species commonly used in environmental safety testing. They found that when food was scarce, microplastics caused much greater harm by essentially diluting nutrition as animals consumed particles instead of real food. The study argues that current toxicity tests may underestimate microplastic risks because they use artificially high food levels that mask the food dilution effect.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Negative food dilution and positive biofilm carrier effects of microplastic ingestion by D. magna cause tipping points at the population level

Experiments with Daphnia magna showed that clean microplastics reduced survival and reproduction through food dilution at high concentrations, while biofouled microplastics had a slight positive biofilm carrier effect, with the net outcome depending on the balance between these competing mechanisms.

2021 Environmental Pollution 53 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Microparticles on Individual Fitness in Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the effects of natural and anthropogenic microparticles on the fitness of the water flea Daphnia magna. The study found that both primary microplastics from cosmetic products and secondary microplastics from degraded plastic waste can have detrimental effects on zooplankton feeding and fitness, with particle shape and weathering influencing toxicity.

2016 PLoS ONE 463 citations
Review Tier 2

Bioavailability and effects of microplastics on marine zooplankton: A review

This review synthesized laboratory and field evidence on microplastic bioavailability and effects on marine zooplankton, finding that multiple taxa readily ingest microplastics with negative impacts on feeding, reproduction, and energy balance, and that zooplankton represent a critical route for transferring microplastics into marine food webs. The authors identify particle size, concentration, and feeding behavior as the main determinants of microplastic bioavailability to zooplankton.

2018 Environmental Pollution 900 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion in marine mesozooplankton species associated with functional feeding traits

This study examined microplastic ingestion in marine mesozooplankton species with different functional traits, finding that feeding mode, body size, and habitat use are key predictors of plastic uptake across zooplankton communities.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening study of four environmentally relevant microplastic pollutants: Uptake and effects on Daphnia magna and Artemia franciscana

Researchers exposed Daphnia water fleas and brine shrimp to four real-world microplastic types from consumer products, finding that smaller particles were ingested more readily by daphnids, that gut accumulation depended on particle size, and that while no acute lethality occurred, brine shrimp growth was impaired.

2018 Chemosphere 167 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation kinetics of polystyrene nano- and microplastics in the waterflea Daphnia magna and trophic transfer to the mysid Limnomysis benedeni

Researchers investigated the accumulation kinetics of polystyrene particles ranging from 26 nm to 4800 nm in Daphnia magna and their subsequent transfer to the mysid Limnomysis benedeni. Smaller particles accumulated more efficiently in Daphnia, and trophic transfer to mysids was demonstrated, confirming that nano- and microplastics move through aquatic food chains with size-dependent efficiency.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A taste of plastic - quantifying micro- and nanoplastic ingestion and interactions with feeding in daphnia magna (E)

This study developed quantitative methods for measuring microplastic and nanoplastic ingestion by freshwater organisms, applying them to mussels and other invertebrates. The analytical approach helps address a key gap in freshwater microplastic research, where most studies have been qualitative rather than quantitative in assessing organism exposure.

2017 Technical University of Denmark, DTU Orbit (Technical University of Denmark, DTU)
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and Egestion of Microplastics by the Cladoceran Daphnia magna: Effects of Regular and Irregular Shaped Plastic and Sorbed Phenanthrene

Researchers studied how the water flea Daphnia magna ingests and excretes polyethylene microplastics of different shapes and sizes. They found that irregular-shaped fragments were ingested differently than regular beads, and that neither type caused acute mortality at tested concentrations — but the study raises questions about chronic effects in this key freshwater species.

2017 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 253 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polystyrene microplastics on Daphnia magna: A laboratory and a mesocosm study

Laboratory tests and mesocosm experiments with Daphnia magna and polystyrene microplastics found that effects at high concentrations were more related to food dilution than direct toxicity, and population-level effects in mesocosms were minimal. The study emphasizes the importance of using realistic concentrations and multi-species systems to assess microplastic risks.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Low microalgae availability increases the ingestion rates and potential effects of microplastics on marine copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei

Researchers examined how food availability affects microplastic ingestion in the marine copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei, finding that low microalgae concentrations increased ingestion of all three microplastic sizes tested (0.5, 2, and 10 micrometers). The results suggest that food-limited copepods are at greater risk of microplastic uptake.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 50 citations