Cited by 1,316Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 139 of the 140 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 89 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Studies of the effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms: What do we know and where should we focus our efforts in the future?

Open access
de Sá, Luís Carlos, Oliveira, Miguel, Ribeiro, Francisca, Rocha, Thiago Lopes, Futter, Martyn Norman·2018·Science of The Total Environment

Abstract

The effects of microplastics (MP) on aquatic organisms are currently the subject of intense research. Here, we provide a critical perspective on published studies of MP ingestion by aquatic biota. We summarize the available research on MP presence, behaviour and effects on aquatic organisms monitored in the field and on laboratory studies of the ecotoxicological consequences of MP ingestion. We consider MP polymer type, shape, size as well as group of organisms studied and type of effect reported. Specifically, we evaluate whether or not the available laboratory studies of MP are representative of the types of MPs found in the environment and whether or not they have reported on relevant groups or organisms. Analysis of the available data revealed that 1) despite their widespread detection in field-based studies, polypropylene, polyester and polyamide particles were under-represented in laboratory studies; 2) fibres and fragments (800-1600 μm) are the most common form of MPs reported in animals collected from the field; 3) to date, most studies have been conducted on fish; knowledge is needed about the effects of MPs on other groups of organisms, especially invertebrates. Furthermore, there are significant mismatches between the types of MP most commonly found in the environment or reported in field studies and those used in laboratory experiments. Finally, there is an overarching need to understand the mechanism of action and ecotoxicological effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of MPs on aquatic organism health.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review surveys 157 articles and 612 studies on microplastics in aquatic organisms, finding research skewed toward fish and small crustaceans, PE/PS polymers, and laboratory concentrations often higher than environmental levels. It highlights mismatches between field-detected microplastic shapes, sizes, and polymers and those used in laboratory ecotoxicology, and calls for more environmentally relevant, freshwater, and mechanism-focused work.

Key findings

  • Across field and laboratory studies, the most commonly reported microplastics were PE (23%) and PS (22%), followed by PP (12%) and PES (9%); fish were the most studied organism group (44%), followed by crustacea (21% combined), molluscs (14%), and annelid worms (6%).
  • Field and laboratory studies were roughly balanced (48% field, 52% laboratory), but fish dominated field studies (23% of all studies) while small crustaceans dominated laboratory studies (17%); 24% of field studies did not report the typology of microplastics present in biota.
  • Laboratory studies most often used spherical microplastics (17%) and particles <50 μm (75 of 169 laboratory studies where size was reported), whereas field-collected organisms most often contained fibres (23%) and fragments (21%), with 800–1600 μm and 400–800 μm each reported in 12% of field studies.
  • Among 130 studies reporting ecotoxicological effects, crustaceans were most studied (45%), followed by fish (21%), molluscs (18%), annelid worms (7%), echinoderms (7%), and rotifers (2%); ecotoxicological studies used marine organisms 77% of the time versus freshwater organisms 23%.

Methods

  • A bibliographic survey was conducted on November 22, 2017 using the Thompson Reuters ISI Web of Science database with the keyword “microplastic*”; 1,637 candidate publications were identified and 157 were retained for analysis.
  • Retained studies were summarized by microplastic type, shape, size range, organism group, and ecotoxicological effect; a “study” was defined as an interaction of organism group, MP type, MP shape, and MP size, yielding 612 studies from the 157 articles.
  • The review tabulated and summarized published field and laboratory studies; no attempt was made to separate direct ecotoxicological effects from organism responses associated with starvation following MP ingestion.

Limitations

  • Stated in the paper: laboratory studies often use unrealistically high MP concentrations; 24% of field studies did not report MP typology; freshwater organisms are under-studied; there is a possible publication bias against negative results; and analytical challenges limit understanding of whether MPs adsorb contaminants once inside organisms.
  • Stated in the paper: no attempt was made to separate direct ecotoxicological effects from starvation-related responses, and the review did not include plants or microbes.
  • Evident from the text: the review relies on a single database and a single search date, and its findings depend on the author-defined classification criteria and the available published literature.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.207

Cites

139 of 139 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 89 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 82 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 20
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 4
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 48
  • Borderline: one of the tests for a substantial claim is unclear. 1
66 of 66
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The set of surveyed publications is representative of the available literature on MPs and aquatic organisms.

    “The surveyed publications identified an equivalent number of studies conducted in the field (48%) and laboratory (52%) (Fig. 3A).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Molluscs include a large number of filter feeding species, with a high tendency for bioaccumulation.

    “Molluscs include a large number of filter feeding species, with a high tendency for bioaccumulation.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    These organism groups occupy a number of positions in aquatic food webs.

    “These organism groups occupy a number of positions in aquatic food webs.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In the environment, organisms are simultaneously exposed to several contaminants.

    “These studies are motivated by the situation found in the environment where organisms are simultaneously exposed to several contaminants.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Several of these organisms are widely used for food (e.g. M. edulis).

    “Considering that several of these organisms are widely used for food (e.g.M. edulis)”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There are many freshwater organisms with considerable trophic and commercial importance.

    “Considering that there are many freshwater organisms with considerable trophic and commercial importance, this approach should be one of the directions that the study of MPs should take.”
6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • 34 studies are not 12% of the stated total

    Minor

    The paper says it identified 612 studies. On that denominator, 34 studies are about 5.6%, not 12%; the text does not specify a different denominator for this claim.

    Reported 12 · recomputed 5.555556

  • Interactive-study polymer percentages total 106%

    Minor

    The reported PE, PS, PVC and PP shares add to 106%, beyond rounding error. That conflicts with the paper's definition of a study by MP type, under which an article covering multiple types generates separate studies.

2 of 2

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Metadata

Authors
de Sá, L. C., Oliveira, M., Ribeiro, F., Rocha, T. L., & Futter, M. N.
Affiliations
  • Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (PT)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR)
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
Corresponding author
Futter, Martyn Norman
Venue
Science of The Total Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-12
Volume
645
Pages
1029-1039
ISSN
0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2883238699
Cited by
1,316
References
140
Citations by year
2026: 80 · 2025: 150 · 2024: 179 · 2023: 189 · 2022: 214 · 2021: 207 · 2020: 205 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 9
FWCI
6.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Swedish Research Council FORMAS (2017-00029)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
Keywords
microplastics, aquatic organisms, microplastic ingestion, ecotoxicology, polymer types, particle size and shape, microfibers, microplastic fragments, fish, invertebrates, mechanism of action, environmental exposure
MeSH terms
Animals, Environmental Monitoring, Plastics, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Ecotoxicology, Aquatic Organisms

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