Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Juveniles at risk: behaviour and colour changes in sole juveniles (Solea solea) after exposure to estuarine ragworms (Hediste diversicolor) contaminated with microplastics

Researchers exposed juvenile sole fish to ragworms contaminated with microplastics to study effects on behavior and body coloration in estuarine conditions. The study found that microplastic exposure through the food chain caused observable changes in the fish juveniles, suggesting that trophic transfer of microplastics can affect the development and behavior of young fish in estuarine nursery habitats.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Are Microplastics Impairing Marine Fish Larviculture?—Preliminary Results with Argyrosomus regius

Meagre larvae exposed to polyethylene microplastics for 7 hours ingested particles regardless of concentration, and at the highest dose (10 mg/L) showed reduced feeding activity, altered oxidative stress markers, and neurotoxicity indicators, suggesting short-term physiological impairment.

2021 Water 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Are fish larvae contaminated before they start eating? First evidence of microplastic contamination in the yolk-sac of wild fish larvae

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in wild fish larvae of two species — European sardine and common goby — from the Douro Estuary in Portugal, examining whether contamination begins before active feeding commences. They found microplastics present even in yolk-sac stage larvae that rely entirely on endogenous feeding, providing the first evidence that larval fish are contaminated before they begin eating.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastic litter in the gastrointestinal tract of Solea solea from the Adriatic Sea

Researchers investigated the occurrence and types of microplastic litter in the gastrointestinal tract of sole fish from the Adriatic Sea. They found microplastic particles in a notable proportion of the fish examined, with various polymer types and sizes detected. The study provides evidence that commercially important flatfish species are ingesting microplastics, raising questions about potential implications for both marine ecosystems and seafood safety.

2017 Environmental Pollution 243 citations
Article Tier 2

Dietary Curcumin Promotes Gilthead Seabream Larvae Digestive Capacity and Modulates Oxidative Status

Adding curcumin to the diet of gilthead seabream larvae improved their digestive capacity and antioxidant status. The research explores natural dietary supplements for improving fish health in aquaculture, which is relevant as farmed seafood is a source of microplastic exposure for humans.

2021 Animals 19 citations
Article Tier 2

The Importance of Fatty Acid Precision Nutrition: Effects of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition on Growth, Hepatic Metabolite, and Intestinal Microbiota in Marine Teleost Trachinotus ovatus

Researchers fed pomfret juveniles three diets with different fatty acid compositions including fish oil, a custom blend oil, and a fish-soybean oil blend and found that the custom blend oil diet matched fish oil for growth while reducing liver inflammation, oxidative stress markers, and pathogenic gut bacteria, supporting precision lipid nutrition in marine aquaculture.

2023 Aquaculture Nutrition 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and the associated plastisphere on physiological, biochemical, genetic expression and gut microbiota of the filter-feeder amphioxus

Researchers exposed filter-feeding amphioxus to weathered microplastics colonized by natural marine biofilms and found significant impacts on physiology, biochemistry, and gut microbiota under starvation conditions. The weathered plastics with their attached microbial communities caused more disruption than pristine particles typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microplastic pollution, complete with its biofilm coating, may pose greater risks to marine filter feeders than laboratory experiments usually indicate.

2023 Environment International 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Do marine synbiotics decrease estradiol impacts in early-weaned European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae?

Researchers investigated whether marine synbiotics could counteract the negative effects of estradiol exposure on early-weaned European seabass larvae, finding that combining synbiotics with estradiol significantly improved larval growth, survival, and liver enzyme activity compared to estradiol alone, suggesting a protective role for dietary synbiotics during hormonal stress.

2022 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Development and evaluation of a fish feed mixture containing the probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum prepared using an innovative pellet coating method

Researchers developed an innovative pellet coating method for fish feed using the probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, demonstrating stable probiotic survival during storage and gradual release over 24 hours, along with improved nutrient composition of the feed pellets.

2023 Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Moving Toward Standardized Toxicity Testing Procedures with Particulates by Dietary Exposure of Gammarids

This paper discusses challenges in standardizing ecotoxicological testing for particulate materials and sparingly soluble substances, which behave differently from soluble chemicals in standard aquatic toxicity tests. It proposes dietary exposure approaches as a more realistic method for assessing microplastic toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2021 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Euryhaline fish larvae ingest more microplastic particles in seawater than in freshwater

Researchers found that euryhaline fish larvae ingested significantly more microplastic particles in seawater than in freshwater, likely due to physiological differences in drinking rates, with implications for understanding marine fish contamination.

2023 Scientific Reports 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Test feed development and methodological approaches allowing highly controlled dietary exposures to nano- and microparticulate contaminants in fish

Researchers developed standardized test feeds and controlled feeding methods to study how nano- and microplastics transfer through aquatic food webs from small invertebrates to fish. Controlled dietary exposure studies are important for understanding how microplastics accumulate and cause harm as they move up the food chain.

2020 MethodsX
Article Tier 2

Multi-Species Probiotics as Sustainable Strategy to Alleviate Polyamide Microplastic-Induced Stress in Nile Tilapia

Researchers tested whether multi-species probiotics could counteract the toxic effects of polyamide microplastics in Nile tilapia over a six-week experiment. The study found that probiotic supplementation alleviated microplastic-induced stress by improving growth performance, immune response, and physiological health markers, suggesting that probiotics may be a sustainable strategy for protecting farmed fish from microplastic contamination.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastic pollution in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) aquaculture areas and the relationship between colonized-microbiota on microplastics and intestinal microflora

Researchers found that microplastics in golden pompano aquaculture areas colonize with distinct microbial communities that overlap with the fish's gut microbiota, increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Firmicutes in the intestinal flora of fish living in more contaminated estuarine settings.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

A multiple biomarker approach to understand the effects of microplastics on the health status of European seabass farmed in earthen ponds on the NE Atlantic coast

Researchers studied European seabass farmed in earthen ponds to understand how microplastic exposure relates to fish health. Using multiple biomarkers including blood chemistry, immune response, and tissue analysis, they found measurable biological changes linked to microplastic levels in the fish. The findings raise concerns about seafood quality from aquaculture systems that are exposed to environmental microplastic contamination.

2024 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the feeding rates of larvae of a coastal fish: direct consumption, trophic transfer, and effects on growth and survival

Researchers tested whether microplastics in seawater affect the feeding rates, growth, and survival of California Grunion fish larvae. They found that microplastics reduced feeding rates and demonstrated that trophic transfer of microplastics from zooplankton to larval fish occurs readily. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may impair early fish development by interfering with feeding behavior and introducing contaminants through the food chain.

2022 Marine Biology 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Larval Fish Habitat Brims with Plastic

Research shows that larval fish habitats in the ocean are heavily contaminated with microplastics, raising concern about early-life exposure for a life stage that is both ecologically critical and vulnerable. Microplastic overlap with larval fish habitat poses a risk to future fish populations.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in fishmeal: A threatening issue for sustainable aquaculture and human health

Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter aquaculture systems through contaminated fishmeal — made from wild-caught fish that have ingested ocean plastics — and accumulate in farmed fish that are then eaten by humans. The review calls for improved microplastic screening during fish feed production to protect both aquaculture sustainability and public health.

2022 Aquaculture Reports 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Dietary Microplastic Administration during Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Development: A Comprehensive and Comparative Study between Larval and Juvenile Stages

Researchers compared how zebrafish at different developmental stages respond to microplastics mixed into their feed, testing various particle sizes and concentrations. They found that larval fish were more sensitive than juveniles, and that smaller microplastics caused greater accumulation in the body. The study provides evidence that early life stages of fish are particularly vulnerable to dietary microplastic exposure, which is relevant for understanding contamination risks in aquaculture.

2023 Animals 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Probiotics on the Recovery of Growth, Digestive, Antioxidant, Immune Functions, and Gut Microbiota of Chinese Hooksnout Carp (Opsariichthys bidens) Under Microplastic Stress

Researchers exposed juvenile Chinese hooksnout carp to polystyrene microplastics for seven days, then administered Bacillus coagulans probiotics at three doses for 56 days and found that medium and high probiotic doses significantly improved growth, digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant function, and gut microbiota recovery.

2025 Fishes
Article Tier 2

Establishment of the Bacterial Microbiota in a Lab-Reared Model Teleost Fish, the Medaka Oryzias latipes

Researchers established a detailed characterization of the bacterial microbiota in lab-reared medaka (Oryzias latipes) across life stages from larvae to adults, addressing a significant knowledge gap in this important aquatic ecotoxicology model organism.

2022 Microorganisms 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Activity of Digestive and Oxidative-Stress-Related Enzymes in Peled Whitefish (Coregonus peled Gmelin) Larvae

Researchers exposed peled whitefish larvae to polystyrene microplastics and measured changes in digestive and antioxidant enzyme activity as indicators of stress. They found that microplastic exposure disrupted normal enzyme functions, suggesting impaired digestion and increased oxidative stress even at relatively low concentrations. The study provides evidence that microplastic contamination in freshwater environments may harm the development and survival of commercially valuable fish species during their most vulnerable life stages.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental samples of microplastics induce significant toxic effects in fish larvae

Researchers collected microplastic samples from beaches on Easter Island, Guam, and Hawaii, then fed them to Japanese medaka fish at concentrations reflecting real ocean conditions. Larvae exposed to these environmental microplastics experienced increased mortality, developmental abnormalities, DNA damage, and behavioral changes. The study demonstrates that realistic concentrations of weathered, real-world microplastics can cause significant harm to fish during their most vulnerable early life stages.

2019 Environment International 407 citations
Article Tier 2

Size and concentration effects of microplastics on digestion and immunity of hybrid snakehead in developmental stages

Researchers examined how microplastic size and concentration affect digestion and immunity in hybrid snakehead fish at different developmental stages, finding that larvae were more sensitive to small, high-concentration microplastics while juveniles mounted immune and antioxidant defense responses.

2021 Aquaculture Reports 46 citations