Papers

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Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Regulate Silicon Cycling and Biosilica Deposition in Marine Synechococcus

Researchers found that amine-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NH₂) at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1 mg/L) disrupted silicon transport and biosilica deposition in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus. The effects on silicon cycling could have broader implications for ocean biogeochemical cycles in which silica plays a structural role.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Natural marine nanocolloids modulate the phytotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics on cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.

Researchers examined how natural marine nanocolloids interact with polystyrene nanoplastics and affect the cyanobacterium Synechococcus. They found that nanocolloids stabilized the nanoplastics in water and promoted their attachment to algal cells, leading to greater membrane damage and a 14% reduction in photosynthetic efficiency. The study suggests that naturally occurring particles in seawater may amplify the ecological risks of nanoplastic pollution to marine phytoplankton.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The response of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 to micro-/nano polyethylene particles - Investigation of a key anthropogenic stressor

Researchers investigated the molecular responses of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 to polyethylene micro- and nanoparticles, finding that these anthropogenic stressors altered gene expression and physiological processes in this key marine photosynthetic organism.

2020 PLoS ONE 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Silicon Limitation Impairs the Tolerance of Marine Diatoms to Pristine Microplastics

Researchers examined how silicon availability in seawater affects marine diatoms' tolerance to polystyrene microplastics. The study found that silicon-starved diatom cells became less negatively charged, more adhesive, and mechanically weaker, making them more vulnerable to microplastic attachment and toxicity compared to silicon-enriched cells.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of nSiO2 and mPS on diatoms Nitzschia closterium f. minutissima

This study tested the toxic effects of silicon dioxide nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics on the marine diatom Nitzschia closterium f. minutissima, finding both types inhibited algae growth in a dose-dependent manner. Since marine microalgae form the base of ocean food chains, toxicity to these organisms can cascade up through marine ecosystems and ultimately affect seafood that humans consume.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics cause growth inhibition, morphological damage and physiological disturbance in the marine microalga Platymonas helgolandica

Researchers exposed marine green microalgae to polystyrene nanoplastics and found significant growth inhibition, increased membrane permeability, disrupted photosynthesis, and visible morphological damage — including surface fragmentation and cellular rupture — at concentrations as low as 200 µg/L.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics impair growth and nitrogen fixation of marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria

Researchers found that nanoplastic exposure significantly reduces growth, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation in Crocosphaera watsonii — a key ocean nitrogen-fixer — suggesting that nanoplastic pollution could decrease new nitrogen input to marine ecosystems and impair ocean productivity and biogeochemical cycling.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Cyanobacteria with Nanometer and Micron Sized Polystyrene Particles in Marine and Fresh Water

Marine and freshwater cyanobacteria formed aggregates with polystyrene nanoplastics held together by extracellular polymeric substances, causing the particles to sink, with larger and faster aggregation in saltwater. Microplastics produced different-shaped aggregates linked by a small number of particles, neither causing cell death, showing that cyanobacteria can alter nanoplastic fate and distribution in aquatic systems.

2020 Langmuir 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics promote microcystin synthesis and release from cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa.

Researchers showed that amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NH2) stimulate microcystin synthesis and release in the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa by inhibiting photosystem II and increasing membrane permeability. This is the first direct evidence linking nanoplastics to enhanced cyanotoxin production in freshwater blooms.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene nanoparticles on marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi chain assemblages and consequences on their ecological role in marine ecosystems

Researchers exposed the marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi to polystyrene nanoparticles and observed increased oxidative stress, reduced chain length, and nanoplastic aggregation at the diatom's silica pores, raising concern that nanoplastic interference with diatom chain formation could impair the biological carbon pump that sequesters atmospheric CO2 in deep ocean sediments.

2020 Environmental Pollution 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic-mediated disruption of freshwater carbon cycling via modulating of plankton communities

Researchers exposed freshwater mesocosms to polystyrene nanoplastics (80–500 nm) at 1 mg/L and found significant disruption of zooplankton and bacterial community structure, which altered carbon cycling processes — suggesting nanoplastics can impair the ecosystem functions that regulate freshwater carbon flux.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Silicate Derived from Phaeodactylum tricornutum for Removal of Polystyrene: Interfacial Effects of Living Organism and Its Derivatives with Nanoplastics

Researchers investigated the use of silica derived from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to remove nanopolystyrene particles from water, examining both the toxicity of nanoplastics to the living organism and the removal efficiency of its silica derivatives. The diatom-derived silica effectively adsorbed nanoplastics, suggesting a biogenic approach to nanoplastic remediation.

2024 Langmuir 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracking nanoplastics in freshwater microcosms and their impacts to aquatic organisms

Researchers tracked palladium-doped polystyrene nanoplastics in freshwater microcosms and found they caused toxic effects on cyanobacteria, green algae, and crustaceans at varying concentrations, with particle aggregation and surface interactions driving organism-specific impacts.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger changes in cell surface properties of freshwater and marine cyanobacteria

Polystyrene nanoplastics altered cell surface properties—including charge, hydrophobicity, and extracellular polymeric substance composition—in both freshwater and marine cyanobacteria without affecting growth or structure, suggesting cyanobacteria employ adaptive surface remodeling strategies to resist nanoplastic stress.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the toxicity mechanisms of polystyrene nanoplastics on physiological and transcriptomic responses of the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum

Researchers exposed the toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum to polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations from 0.1 to 50 mg/L and measured physiological responses and toxin production. NP exposure inhibited growth and photosynthesis, altered gene expression, and changed the profile of paralytic shellfish toxins produced by the alga.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Persistence of algal toxicity induced by polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations

Researchers studied whether the harmful effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on marine algae are temporary or long-lasting. They found that while some damage, like oxidative stress, was reversible after exposure ended, other effects such as increased cell membrane damage persisted. The study suggests that even at low, environmentally realistic concentrations, nanoplastics can cause lasting disruption to algal metabolism and cell function.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of coral reef dinoflagellates to nanoplastics under experimental conditions

Researchers exposed symbiotic dinoflagellates from coral reefs to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that cell growth and aggregation were significantly reduced after 10 days. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution could harm the tiny algae that are essential to coral reef health, with potential consequences for reef ecosystems.

2020 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicities of polystyrene nano- and microplastics toward marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila

Polystyrene nano- and microplastics were found to be toxic to the marine bacterium Halomonas alkaliphila, with nanoplastics causing more severe membrane damage and oxidative stress than microplastics of equivalent mass. The results highlight that nanoplastics may pose greater risks to marine microbial communities than larger particles, with potential cascading effects on ocean biogeochemical cycles.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 364 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics impair the photosynthetic capacities of Symbiodiniaceae and promote coral bleaching

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics at ecologically relevant concentrations impaired the photosynthetic capacity of Symbiodiniaceae algae and promoted coral bleaching, demonstrating that nanoplastic pollution poses a direct threat to coral-symbiont stability.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics and their effects on the microalgal feeding of Artemia franciscana

Brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics ingested and bioaccumulated the particles, which also affected their feeding behavior on microalgae and caused changes in gut microbiota. These effects on a widely used aquaculture species raise concerns about nanoplastic contamination in marine food production.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 59 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of polystyrene plastics on the toxicity of triphenyltin to the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum—influence of plastic particle size

The presence of polystyrene particles of different sizes was found to modify the toxicity of triphenyltin (a toxic organotin compound) to the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum, with effects depending on whether the plastic particles increased or decreased the bioavailability of the chemical. The study illustrates how microplastics can alter the toxicity of co-occurring chemical pollutants to sensitive marine microalgae.

2019 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 40 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effecting Mechanisms of 100 nm Sized Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Typical Coastal Alexandrium tamarense

Researchers examined the effects of 100-nanometer polystyrene nanoplastics on the harmful algal bloom species Alexandrium tamarense. They found that nanoplastic exposure inhibited algal growth and photosynthesis while increasing production of paralytic shellfish toxins and reactive oxygen species. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in coastal waters could worsen harmful algal bloom impacts by stressing toxin-producing algal species.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of micro-plastic particles on coral reef foraminifera

Three-week exposure experiments on two species of symbiont-bearing foraminifera found that polystyrene microplastics disrupted isotopic signatures, photosynthesis, and growth in these ecologically important marine protists.

2024 Scientific Reports 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoparticle-Biological Interactions in a Marine Benthic Foraminifer

Researchers exposed single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera to three types of engineered nanoparticles — including polystyrene nanoplastics — and found that all three accumulated inside the cells and triggered oxidative stress (a form of cellular damage). This study shows that even microscopic seafloor organisms are vulnerable to nanoplastic pollution, expanding the known range of species harmed by plastic contamination.

2019 Scientific Reports 40 citations