Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Increased assimilation efficiency and mortality rate in Gammarus fossarum exposed to PVC microplastics

Researchers exposed freshwater amphipods to PVC microplastics of two different sizes for 28 days and found that the animals experienced increased mortality, particularly from smaller particles at higher concentrations. While the amphipods did not eat less food, they showed higher assimilation efficiency when exposed to microplastics, possibly due to changes in their gut bacteria or energy being redirected toward defense. The study highlights that even relatively low concentrations of PVC microplastics can be harmful to these important freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation and depuration of microplastic fibers, fragments, and tire particles in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica: A toxicokinetic approach

This study examined the impacts of microplastic ingestion on the feeding behavior and energy budget of the marine amphipod Gammarus fossarum. Microplastic-exposed amphipods showed reduced food intake and lower assimilation efficiency, leading to decreased energy available for growth.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential effects of microplastic exposure on leaf shredding rates of invasive and native amphipod crustaceans

Researchers tested how microplastic exposure affected leaf-eating crustaceans in freshwater, finding that at high concentrations, native species ate significantly less while an invasive species was unaffected. This raises concern that microplastic pollution could give invasive species a competitive edge while disrupting the nutrient recycling work of native invertebrates in rivers and streams.

2023 Biological Invasions 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the Effects of Environmental Concentrations of Microplastics on the Aquatic Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Researchers examined the effects of environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations on the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, assessing impacts on this benthic invertebrate in an understudied freshwater ecosystem context.

2021 Water Air & Soil Pollution 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt energy metabolism in the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis

Researchers exposed the brackish water flea Diaphanosoma celebensis to polystyrene microplastics and found disruption of digestive enzyme activity and depletion of energy reserves, demonstrating that microplastics impair energy metabolism in this zooplankton species.

2023 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfibre effects on the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex

This study tested the effects of microplastic fibers on Gammarus pulex, a shrimp-like crustacean that plays a key role in breaking down leaf litter in freshwater streams. Exposure to microfibres caused measurable harm to this important species, with potential knock-on effects for freshwater ecosystem function.

2021 White Rose eTheses Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics on amphipods

Researchers exposed two amphipod species to environmentally relevant polyethylene microplastic concentrations and found increased mortality and oxidative stress, with species-specific sensitivity suggesting ecological impacts even at low exposure levels.

2022 Chemosphere 24 citations
Article Tier 2

The ecotoxicological impact of microplastics on freshwater invertebrates

This review summarizes the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics on freshwater invertebrates, finding evidence of harm including reduced feeding, growth, and reproduction across multiple species. Because invertebrates are key links in food webs, these effects could have broader consequences for freshwater ecosystems.

2019 CentAUR (University of Reading) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of microplastics pollution on the feeding behavior of a prominent sandy beach amphipod, Orchestoidea tuberculata (Nicolet, 1849)

Microplastic pollution was found to reduce feeding activity and slow growth in a beach amphipod (small crustacean), even at environmentally relevant concentrations. This suggests microplastics can disrupt energy balance and population health in small invertebrates that play important roles in sandy beach ecosystems.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Uncovering the Hidden Dangers of Microplastic Pollution in Lake Ecosystems: Effects of Ingestion on Talitrid Amphipods

Researchers demonstrated that talitrid amphipods from Lake Albano readily ingested multiple polymer types delivered through food tablets, and within 24 hours the microplastics disrupted energy metabolism by altering glucose, glycogen, and lipid levels in the organisms.

2023 Environments 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwaters: are benthic invertebrates at risk?

This study found that polyethylene microbeads in sediment reduced the growth and development of the aquatic invertebrate Gammarus fossarum over a 28-day exposure. The results add to evidence that microplastic contamination in freshwater sediments can harm bottom-dwelling invertebrates that form the base of food webs.

2018 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
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

Sublethal Impacts of Polyethylene Microplastics on Freshwater Amphipods: Genotoxic and Metabolic Responses in Echinogammarus veneris and Cryptorchestia garbinii (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

Researchers exposed two freshwater amphipod species to polyethylene microparticles for 24 hours, finding active particle ingestion with fragmentation in digestive tracts, genotoxic responses measured by comet assay, and metabolic changes including elevated lactate suggesting energy metabolism disruption.

2025 Environments
Article Tier 2

Rapid fragmentation of microplastics by the freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni (Lillj.)

Researchers discovered that the freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni can rapidly break down polyethylene microplastics into smaller fragments, including nanoplastics, during its feeding process. The fragmentation was closely linked to feeding behavior, with more and smaller fragments produced when food was present during depuration. The study highlights that aquatic organisms may play a previously underestimated role in determining the environmental fate of microplastics by accelerating their breakdown into even smaller particles.

2020 Scientific Reports 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polymethylmethacrylate nanoplastics on the swimming behaviour and gut microbiome of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex

Researchers exposed freshwater amphipods (Gammarus pulex) to polymethylmethacrylate nanoplastics and assessed effects on swimming behavior and gut microbiome composition. They found that nanoplastic exposure altered the animals' movement patterns and shifted the microbial communities in their digestive systems. The study suggests that even nanoscale plastic particles can affect the behavior and internal biology of important freshwater invertebrates.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 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

Microplastic ingestion reduces energy intake in the clam Atactodea striata

Researchers found that microplastic ingestion by the clam Atactodea striata reduced clearance rate — and therefore energy intake — particularly at high concentrations, while respiration rate and absorption efficiency remained unchanged, with pseudofaeces and depuration limiting the amount of plastic retained in body tissue.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 185 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution and nutrient enrichment shift the diet of freshwater macroinvertebrates

Researchers studied how microplastic pollution and excess nutrients together affect the feeding behavior of freshwater invertebrates in controlled experiments. They found that both conventional and biodegradable microplastics shifted what the organisms chose to eat, and these effects were amplified when combined with nutrient enrichment. The study suggests that microplastic pollution interacts with other common environmental stressors to alter freshwater food webs.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion decreases energy reserves in marine worms

Researchers exposed marine worms to microplastics and found that ingestion reduced the worms' energy reserves, demonstrating that microplastic ingestion imposes a measurable energetic cost that could affect growth, reproduction, and survival.

2013 Current Biology 1056 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

Microplastics in river sediment: Chronic exposure of the amphipod Gammarus fossarum to polyethylene terephthalate in a microcosm

Chronic exposure of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum to polyethylene microplastics from river sediment produced oxidative stress responses similar to those caused by natural mineral particles, suggesting that not all adverse effects of MPs are specific to their plastic chemistry.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of microplastics on the functional traits of aquatic benthic organisms: A global-scale meta-analysis

Microplastics had a moderate overall negative effect on functional traits of aquatic benthic organisms, particularly impairing energy assimilation and population-level traits like reproduction, while behavior and feeding traits appeared unaffected.

2021 Environmental Pollution 75 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

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