Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

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

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

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

The Effect of Exposure to Microplastic Particles on Baltic Sea Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) Filtration Rate

Baltic Sea blue mussels were exposed to 1,000 microbeads per liter for six days, and the study found no significant difference in filtration rate compared to unexposed mussels. While this single concentration did not impair feeding, the study provides early baseline data on mussel responses to microplastic exposure.

2016 Lund University Publications Student Papers (Lund University) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and characterization of microplastics in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis): protocol setup and preliminary data on the contamination of the French Atlantic coast

Researchers quantified and characterized microplastics in blue mussels from a study site, finding microplastics in a large proportion of sampled individuals and documenting the types and sizes of particles present.

2017 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 163 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

Effects of nanopolystyrene on the feeding behavior of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis L.)

Researchers investigated how 30-nanometer polystyrene particles affect the feeding behavior of blue mussels. They found that exposure to nanoplastics caused mussels to produce pseudofeces, increase total waste output, and reduce filtering activity, indicating that nanoplastics disrupt normal feeding processes in these organisms.

2012 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 531 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of long-term exposure to microfibers on ecosystem services provided by coastal mussels

Researchers examined the effects of long-term microfiber exposure on the biofiltration capacity of coastal mussels, investigating whether small microfibers (more common in nature than the larger microplastics studied previously) impair this important ecosystem service that helps mitigate coastal eutrophication.

2020 Environmental Pollution 28 citations
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Application of the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) as an indicator of microplastic pollution within the Salish Sea

This study used blue mussels placed at 11 sites in British Columbia waters to measure microplastic pollution, finding an average of about 2 microplastic particles per mussel, with 91% being fibers. The results suggest mussels could serve as useful indicators of microplastic contamination in marine environments. Since mussels are also a food source for humans, these findings are relevant to understanding our dietary exposure to microplastics.

2018 Summit (Simon Fraser University) 4 citations
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

Uptake and Effects of Microplastics on Cells and Tissue of the Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an Experimental Exposure

Researchers exposed blue mussels to high-density polyethylene microplastics and found the particles were drawn into the gills and digestive system within just three hours. The microplastics triggered a strong inflammatory response and damaged cell membranes, providing direct evidence that microplastics can enter animal cells and cause significant tissue-level harm.

2012 Environmental Science & Technology 1605 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

Microplastic changes the sinking and resuspension rates of marine mussel biodeposits

Researchers found that microplastic exposure altered the sinking rates and resuspension velocities of mussel biodeposits, demonstrating that microplastics can disrupt benthic-pelagic coupling by changing the physical properties of marine mussel fecal pellets and pseudofeces.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Capturing marine microplastics with mussel power

Researchers scaled up the use of Mytilus edulis (blue mussel) cage systems to capture and sequester microplastics from coastal marine environments, testing 50 kg mussel cage systems with feces collection and pump-based sample retrieval at ecologically relevant locations. Building on laboratory results showing mussels could filter 200,000 microplastics per hour, the study assessed the feasibility of mussel-based biofiltering as a passive environmental remediation strategy.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Morphological analysis approach to detect microfiber contamination in Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers investigated microfiber contamination in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) using morphological analysis, finding microplastic presence in 65% of analyzed specimens and demonstrating that mussels serve as effective bioindicators for assessing environmental microplastic exposure.

2022 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Particle characteristics of microplastics contaminating the mussel Mytilus edulis and their surrounding environments

Researchers investigated microplastic uptake into mussels (Mytilus edulis) and their surrounding sediment and seawater at nine intertidal sites in southwest England, characterizing particle abundance, size, shape, and polymer composition across environmental compartments and mussel tissue.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 129 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of seasonal changes in temperature on capture efficiency in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, fed seston and microplastics

Year-round experiments with blue mussels showed that their efficiency at capturing suspended particles from ambient seawater — including microplastics — changes with the seasons, likely due to temperature-driven shifts in water viscosity and mussel physiology. Because mussels are a major filter feeder in coastal ecosystems and a widely eaten seafood, understanding when they most readily take up microplastics matters for both ecology and food safety.

2024 Invertebrate Biology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) filtration function as a sustainable tool for water column microplastic monitoring

Researchers investigated using Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as living samplers to monitor microplastic levels in seawater, taking advantage of the mussels' natural filter-feeding behavior to concentrate particles from the surrounding water column. This biological monitoring approach could provide a cost-effective and ecologically relevant tool for tracking microplastic pollution.

2024 Repository of the University of Primorsk (University of Primorska)
Article Tier 2

Bivalves as Biological Sieves: Bioreactivity Pathways of Microplastics and Nanoplastics

This review examines how filter-feeding bivalves like mussels and oysters process and accumulate microplastics and nanoplastics of different sizes. Researchers found that larger particles pass through relatively quickly in feces, while smaller microplastics and nanoplastics tend to accumulate in digestive tissues and immune cells with longer retention times, making bivalves valuable bioindicators of plastic pollution.

2021 Biological Bulletin 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying spatial variation in the uptake of microplastic by mussels using biodeposit traps: A field-based study

Researchers used novel biodeposit traps to measure how mussels in different field locations take up and excrete microplastics, finding significant spatial variation in uptake rates. Mussels can serve as natural biomonitors of local microplastic contamination, with their biodeposits revealing how much plastic is present in their environment.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Histopathological and cytochemical analysis of ingested polyethylenepowder in the digestive gland of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.)

Researchers examined the damage caused by ingested polyethylene powder in the digestive glands of blue mussels using microscopy and chemical staining, providing histological evidence of cellular effects. The study demonstrated that physical ingestion of plastic particles causes measurable tissue-level harm in the digestive organs of these widely consumed shellfish.

2010 1 citations