Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Transfer of Polystyrene Microplastics with Different Functional Groups in the Aquatic Food Chain

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics with different surface functional groups accumulate and transfer through an aquatic food chain, finding that surface chemistry significantly influences microplastic uptake and trophic transfer between organisms.

2023 Journal of Physics Conference Series 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of marine organisms at multi-trophic level to study the integrated biological responses induced by microplastics through food-chain

Researchers used marine organisms across multiple trophic levels to study how microplastics move and accumulate through the food chain, finding that toxicological effects intensify at higher trophic levels due to bioaccumulation of plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024
Article Tier 2

Micro-Nano Plastics in Aquatic Environments: Associated Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments are biologically transferred up the food chain, covering the factors that influence particle bioavailability, accumulation in organisms, and trophic transfer — with implications for both aquatic ecosystem health and human dietary exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for the transfer of hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life

Researchers assessed the relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for transferring hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life. The study suggests that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of contaminants, factors like gut surfactants, pH, and temperature influence desorption rates, and modeling indicates other exposure routes may be more significant in natural environments.

2016 Environmental Pollution 410 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics through a microalgae–crustacean–small yellow croaker food chain: Inhibition of digestive enzyme activity in fish

Researchers tracked how nanoplastics move through a marine food chain from microalgae to crustaceans to fish, demonstrating that plastic particles transfer upward through feeding relationships. The nanoplastics accumulated at each level and ultimately inhibited digestive enzyme activity in the fish. The study suggests that nanoplastics could eventually reach humans through seafood consumption via this same trophic transfer process.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure

This study compared direct waterborne exposure versus trophic transfer of micro- and nanoplastics on marine fish larvae, finding that trophic transfer caused significantly higher larval mortality. The results suggest that dietary uptake through the food web is a more dangerous exposure route than direct water contact for early-stage fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in the marine environment: A state-of-the-science review

This state-of-the-science review examined whether microplastics serve as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in marine organisms. The study found that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of sorbed chemicals, their relative importance as an exposure route compared to other pathways like water and food remains an active area of research with varying conclusions depending on environmental conditions.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 476 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on microalgae and their trophic transfer along the food chain: recent advances and perspectives

This review summarized evidence on how nanoplastics affect microalgae — including growth inhibition, oxidative stress, and altered photosynthesis — and examined trophic transfer of nanoplastics up the food chain, finding that toxicity depended on NP concentration, size, and surface charge.

2021 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Important ecological processes are affected by the accumulation and trophic transfer of nanoplastics in a freshwater periphyton-grazer food chain

Researchers found that nanoplastics bioaccumulate and transfer trophically in a freshwater periphyton-grazer food chain, affecting fundamental ecological processes and highlighting significant gaps in our understanding of nanoplastic risks in freshwater ecosystems.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer of palladium-doped nanoplastics in a constructed freshwater ecosystem

Researchers used palladium-doped nanoplastics as tracers in a constructed freshwater ecosystem to quantitatively track distribution, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer, finding that nanoplastics move through multiple trophic levels and accumulate in organisms.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Infiltration of freshwater food chain by nanoplastics: An examination of trophic transfer and biological impact

Researchers used fluorescent nanoplastics to track how these particles move through a freshwater food chain from algae to water fleas. They found that nanoplastics accumulated more in water fleas through the food chain than through direct water exposure, with positively charged particles infiltrating more readily. The study suggests that foodborne nanoplastic exposure may be a more significant pathway for contamination in aquatic ecosystems than waterborne exposure alone.

2023 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanomaterials and their effects on high-trophic-level predators

Researchers reviewed 15 years of research on how nanomaterials — including metal-based particles, carbon materials, and nanoplastics — transfer through aquatic and terrestrial food chains, finding that particle-specific transfer factors better capture their movement and that trophic transfer causes measurable toxicity at molecular, physiological, and population levels in predators.

2023 NanoImpact 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and transfer of microplastics in the planktonic food web

Researchers demonstrated that microplastics are ingested and transferred through a planktonic food web, with particles passing from primary producers to zooplankton grazers and on to predatory plankton, establishing trophic transfer as a real pathway for microplastic movement through marine food chains.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1567 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring transfer of microplastics in the trophic chain: a prey-predator interaction case in the Strait of Messina

Researchers examined the transfer of microplastics across trophic levels in a prey-predator marine food web, tracking particles from prey organisms to predators. The study confirmed trophic transfer of microplastics and found that predators can accumulate higher particle concentrations than their prey.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics move through marine food webs via trophic transfer and carry chemical contaminants that can accumulate in higher predators, including humans. Researchers found that microplastics readily sorb pollutants from surrounding waters and release them after being ingested by organisms, potentially amplifying toxic effects at each level of the food chain. The study underscores the need for more research on bioaccumulation factors and the implications of seafood-mediated microplastic exposure for human health.

2018 Environment International 1310 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure

Researchers compared the effects of waterborne versus trophic (food chain) exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics on larvae of red sea bream and found that trophic transfer reduced larval survival more severely than direct waterborne exposure. The results underscore the importance of dietary exposure pathways in assessing nanoplastic risk to marine fish.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: A review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemical contaminants they carry move through aquatic food chains from small organisms up to larger predators. Researchers found that microplastics can transfer toxic additives and absorbed pollutants to organisms that ingest them, with potential implications for seafood safety and ultimately human health.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 727 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Identifying critical research needs

This review analyzed the available literature on trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic food webs, identifying key factors — particle size, shape, density, and organism feeding behavior — that determine whether microplastics pass through organisms or accumulate. The authors conclude that biomagnification of microplastics remains poorly understood and requires targeted research.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 252 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemicals they carry transfer through marine food webs from lower to higher trophic levels, and what this means for human health given that people consume marine fish and seafood. It identifies microplastics as a vector for bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in ways that ultimately reach humans.

2018 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on the Migration Pathways and Ecological Effects of Microplastics in Marine Food Webs

This paper reviews migration pathways and ecological effects of microplastics within marine food webs, tracing MP movement from primary producers through various trophic levels to apex predators and humans, and synthesizing evidence for biological harm at each stage of trophic transfer.

2025 Advances in Engineering Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Polymer composition of microplastics in marine organisms across trophic levels

Researchers reviewed data from 16 studies to examine which types of microplastics are found in marine organisms across different levels of the food chain. They found that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were the most common polymers, with accumulation patterns varying between herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. The study highlights how microplastic contamination is widespread throughout marine food webs, raising concerns about potential transfer to humans through seafood consumption.

2025 BIO Web of Conferences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Summary of the Transporting Mechanism of Microplastics in Marine Food Chain and its Effects to Humans

This review summarized how microplastics are transported through marine food chains from plankton to fish to humans, detailing toxic effects at each trophic level and outlining mitigation strategies to reduce ecological and human health risks from oceanic plastic pollution.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics act as vectors for chemical contaminants through marine food webs, discussing the factors influencing ingestion, the biological impacts of sorbed chemicals, and evidence for trophic transfer across multiple trophic levels. Researchers highlight that existing lab studies use unrealistically high concentrations and that no study has yet tracked microplastic-contaminant transfer from seafood to humans.

2018 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of polyester microfibres across a multi-level marine food web

Researchers tracked how polyester microfibers move through a coral reef food chain, from tiny copepods to shrimp to fish. They found that microplastic concentrations increased up to 14.6-fold between trophic levels, demonstrating that these particles accumulate as they pass up the food web. The study highlights how microplastics can concentrate in marine organisms through normal predator-prey relationships.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations