Cited by 223Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyTurtle Biology and Conservation

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Estimating the size distribution of plastics ingested by animals

Open access

Jâms, Ifan B., Windsor, Fredric M., Poudevigne-Durance, Thomas, Ormerod, Steve J., Durance, Isabelle·2020·Nature Communications

DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-15406-6PMC PMC7101383

Open this paper in CoChat — free account Open PDF

Abstract

The ingestion of plastics appears to be widespread throughout the animal kingdom with risks to individuals, ecosystems and human health. Despite growing information on the location, abundance and size distribution of plastics in the environment, it cannot be assumed that any given animal will ingest all sizes of plastic encountered. Here, we use published data to develop an allometric relationship between plastic consumption and animal size to estimate the size distribution of plastics feasibly ingested by animals. Based on more than 2000 gut content analyses from animals ranging over three orders of magnitude in size (lengths 9 mm to 10 m), body length alone accounts for 42% of the variance in the length of plastic an animal may ingest and indicates a size ratio of roughly 20:1 between animal body length and the largest plastic the animal may ingest. We expect this work to improve global assessments of plastic pollution risk by introducing a quantifiable link between animals and the plastics they can ingest.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41467-020-15406-6

Cites

27 of 27 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Fig. 1 Allometric relationship between animal size and ingestible plastic size. a Allometric size relationship (log10-log10 linear regression; R2 = 0.42, F1,63 = 46.06, p = 4.7e−09), including 99% (light grey) and 95% (dark grey) CIs, between animal body length (mm) and the longest piece of ingested plastic (mm) found during gut surveys (longest axis of largest piece of plastic found). Animal images are for illustration only and are not to scale. Each data point (n = 65) corresponds to the largest piece of plastic found within an animal taxon. b Distribution of field studies that provided data for the allometric relationship. Size of data points in a and b correspond to the number of individual animal specimens surveyed. Similar taxa from separate studies are plotted separately.CC BY · PubMed Central

Fig. 2 Animal depth ranges in the water column exceed plastic pollution models. Water column depth range of species included in meta-analysis compared to depth range of established global plastic models. Cózar et al.11, Eriksen et al.8 and van Sebille et al.10 are well cited distribution models of buoyant plastics floating at the surface of the Earth’s oceans (674, 946 and 255 citations, respectively (Google Scholar 2019)). We assigned a crude water depth value of 25 m to each of these models, to account for the oceanic surface mixed layer, according to Kukulka et al.31.CC BY · PubMed Central

Fig. 3 Detection limits scale with animal size. Studies of larger animals tended not to specify the use of magnifying equipment. Weak relationship (log10-log10 linear regression; R2 = 0.10, F1,61 = 7.58, p = 0.008), including 99% (light grey) and 95% (dark grey) CIs, between animals and the smallest piece of ingested plastic found during gut surveys (plastics measured along their longest axes; n = 63).CC BY · PubMed Central

Fig. 4 Global risk of plastic entering zooplankton communities. a Using the animal-plastic size relationship to estimate the density of ingestible plastics (0.33–1.00 mm in length) divided by zooplankton density. b Current ‘state of the art’: as for a, with ingestible plastic densities substituted with total plastic densities. Legend coarsely estimates the level of plastic ingestion risk for zooplankton.CC BY · PubMed Central

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

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

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
(2012) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.49-6872 · Cited by 12,829
TOWARD A METABOLIC THEORY OF ECOLOGY
Brown, J. H., Gillooly, J. F., Allen, A. P., Savage, V. M., & West, G. B. (2004) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/03-9000 · Cited by 7,779
The Ecological Implications of Body Size
Peters, R. H. (1983) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511608551 · Cited by 5,757
Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea
Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C. M., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., Galgani, F., Ryan, P. G., & Reisser, J. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111913 · Cited by 4,710
River plastic emissions to the world’s oceans
Lebreton, L. C. M., van der Zwet, J., Damsteeg, J.-W., Slat, B., Andrady, A., & Reisser, J. (2017) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms15611 · Cited by 4,011
Plastic debris in the open ocean
Cózar, A., Echevarría, F., González-Gordillo, J. I., Irigoien, X., Úbeda, B., Hernández-León, S., Palma, Á. T., Navarro, S., García-de-Lomas, J., Ruiz, A., et al. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1314705111 · Cited by 3,133
Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
Machado, A. A. D. S., Kloas, W., Zarfl, C., Hempel, S., & Rillig, M. C. (2017) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/gcb.14020 · Cited by 2,468
The impact of debris on marine life
Gall, S. C., & Thompson, R. C. (2015) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.12.041 · Cited by 2,187
Classify plastic waste as hazardous
Rochman, C. M., Browne, M. A., Halpern, B. S., Hentschel, B. T., Hoh, E., Karapanagioti, H. K., Rios-Mendoza, L. M., Takada, H., Teh, S., & Thompson, R. C. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/494169a · Cited by 1,752
A global inventory of small floating plastic debris
van Sebille, E., Wilcox, C., Lebreton, L., Maximenko, N., Hardesty, B. D., van Franeker, J. A., Eriksen, M., Siegel, D., Galgani, F., & Law, K. L. (2015) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124006 · Cited by 1,713

Show all 27 references

Sorted by citations

Items 101–200 of 223

Metagenomic investigations into the microbial consortia, degradation pathways, and enzyme systems involved in the biodegradation of plastics in a tropical lentic pond sediment
Salam, L. B. (2024) · World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s11274-024-03972-6 · Cited by 29
“Furthermore, they may translocate within living organisms' cell membranes and serve as a source for transporting toxic chemicals (Jâms et al. 2020; MacLeod et al. 2021).”
Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus
Sánchez-Guerrero-Hernández, M. J., González‐Fernández, D., Sendra, M., Ramos, F., Yeste, M. P., & González‐Ortegón, E. (2022) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160451 · Cited by 32
“Similarly, given the relationship studied by Jâms et al. (2020), it is possible that some of the smaller ﬁ bres and fragments found correspond to indirect ingestion.”
Eating Near the Dump: Identification of Nearby Plastic Hotspot as a Proxy for Potential Microplastic Contamination in the Norwegian Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus)
Franceschini, S., Cau, A., D’Andrea, L., Follesa, M. C., & Russo, T. (2021) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.682616 · Cited by 26
Accelerated fragmentation of two thermoplastics (polylactic acid and polypropylene) into microplastics after UV radiation and seawater immersion
Niu, Z., Curto, M., Gall, M. L., Demeyer, E., Asselman, J., Janssen, C., Dhakal, H. N., Davies, P., Catarino, A. I., & Everaert, G. (2024) · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.115981 · Cited by 28
Interconnected impacts of water resource management and climate change on microplastic pollution and riverine biocoenosis: A review by freshwater ecologists
Quadroni, S., Cesarini, G., Santis, V. D., & Galafassi, S. (2024) · Journal of Environmental Management · doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123363 · Cited by 28
Microplastic ingestion in aquatic and soil biota: A comprehensive review of laboratory studies on edible size and intake pattern
Kim, D., Kim, S. A., Nam, S., Kwak, J. I., Kim, L., Lee, T.-Y., Kim, H., An, S., & An, Y. (2024) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116056 · Cited by 25
Enabling the Epoxy-Based Polyurea with Adjustable Mechanical Properties, Recyclability, and 3D Shape Configuration
Chen, X., Zhao, S., Yuan, A., Chen, S., Liao, Y., Fu, X., Lei, J., & Jiang, L. (2023) · Macromolecules · doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01688 · Cited by 26
Rapid detection of nanoplastic particles by a luminescent Tb-based coordination polymer
Sun, T., Min, H., Han, Z., Wang, L., Cheng, P., & Shi, W. (2023) · Chinese Chemical Letters · doi:10.1016/j.cclet.2023.108718 · Cited by 26
Role of traveling microplastics as bacterial carriers based on spatial and temporal dynamics of bacterial communities
Zhang, X., Niu, Z., Zhang, Y., Guan, S., Jing, M., Wu, N., & Ma, Y. (2023) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120832 · Cited by 24
Daphnia magna's Favorite Snack: Biofouled Plastics
Polhill, L., de Bruijn, R., Amaral‐Zettler, L., Praetorius, A., & van Wezel, A. P. (2022) · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry · doi:10.1002/etc.5393 · Cited by 27
Structural breakdown and phytotoxic assessments of PE degradation through acid hydrolysis, starch addition and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bioremediation
Mehmood, S., Ilyas, N., Akhtar, N., Chia, W. Y., Shati, A. A., Alfaifi, M. Y., Sayyed, R. Z., Pusparizkita, Y. M., Munawaroh, H. S. H., Quân, P. M., et al. (2022) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.114784 · Cited by 25
Comprehensive assessment of various digestion protocols for extraction microplastics from organic-rich environmental matrices
Huang, K., Xie, L., Gu, X., Xie, J., Li, J., Gao, S., Ji, R., & Zhou, D. (2025) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123935 · Cited by 22
Scattered accumulation hotspots of macro-litter on the seafloor: Insights for mitigation actions
Cau, A., Franceschini, S., Moccia, D., Gorule, P. A., Agus, B., Bellodi, A., Cannas, R., Carugati, L., Cuccu, D., Dessì, C., et al. (2021) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118338 · Cited by 23
Mistaking Plastic for Zooplankton: Risk Assessment of Plastic Ingestion in the Mediterranean Sea
Fabri‐Ruiz, S., Baudena, A., Moullec, F., Lombard, F., Irisson, J., & Pedrotti, M. L. (2022) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159011 · Cited by 22
Plastic ingestion in Asian elephants in the forested landscapes of Uttarakhand, India
Katlam, G., Prasad, S., Pande, A., & Ramchiary, N. (2022) · Journal for Nature Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126196 · Cited by 21
Feeding behavior responses of a juvenile hybrid grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × E. lanceolatus♂, to microplastics
Xu, J., & Li, D. (2020) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115648 · Cited by 21
Review of mayflies (Insecta Ephemeroptera) as a bioindicator of heavy metals and microplastics in freshwater
Benhadji, N., Kurniawan, S. B., & Imron, M. F. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178057 · Cited by 20
A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles
Murphy, E. L., Baechler, B. R., Roman, L., Leonard, G. H., Mallos, N. J., Santos, R. G. D., & Rochman, C. M. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2415492122 · Cited by 22
Microplastics, Additives, and Plasticizers in Freshwater Bivalves: Preliminary Research of Biomonitoring
Cesarini, G., Corami, F., Rosso, B., & Scalici, M. (2023) · Water · doi:10.3390/w15142647 · Cited by 19
Entanglement of Daphnia magna by Fibrous Microplastics through “Hook and Loop” Action
Ma, C., Shi, H., & Slaveykova, V. I. (2024) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00279 · Cited by 18
Larger Common River Frogs (Amietia delalandii) have Fewer and Shorter Tissue Microplastic Fibres than Smaller Frogs
Burger, M., Bouwman, H., du Preez, L. H., & Landman, W. (2024) · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology · doi:10.1007/s00128-024-03852-7 · Cited by 17
“Although Jâms et al. ( 2020) concluded that larger animals ingest larger MPs, this was a large-scale assessment.”
Background
Occurrence of Microplastics in Freshwater
Cera, A., Gallitelli, L., Cesarini, G., & Scalici, M. (2022) · Emerging contaminants and associated treatment technologies · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-89220-3_10 · Cited by 16
Species-specific effects of microplastics on juvenile fishes
Zhang, C., Wang, F., Zuo, Z., Pan, Z., Wang, S., Xu, G., & Zou, J. (2023) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1256005 · Cited by 16
Photoaged nanoplastics with multienzyme-like activities significantly shape the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Chen, M., Zhang, Y., Cheng, L.-C., Zhao, F. J., & Wang, P. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134884 · Cited by 17
Gaining control of bacterial cellulose colonization by polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing microorganisms to develop bioplasticized ultrathin films
Campano, C., Rivero‐Buceta, V., Fabra, M. J., & Prieto, M. A. (2022) · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.120 · Cited by 15
International trade and biodiversity: Is export a species killer?
Tian, H., & Cheng, C. (2024) · Ecological Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108313 · Cited by 15
Depolymerization of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) into bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate: Catalytic glycolysis mechanism and kinetics
Li, M., Chen, W., & Chen, S. (2024) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.157778 · Cited by 16
Does the microplastics ingestion patterns and polymer composition vary across the oceanic zones? A case study from the Indian coast
Devi, S. S., Saifudeen, N., Kumar, K. S., & Kumar, A. B. (2024) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116532 · Cited by 14
Seasonal variations and risk assessment of microplastic contamination in agricultural soil and associated macroinvertebrates in Egypt
El-masry, S. M., Khedre, A. M., & Mustafa, A. N. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-88715-9 · Cited by 14
“Moreover, a review of published results indicated that the size ratio between an organism’s body length and the highest number of MPs it can consume is approximately 20:1 61 .”
A comparative analysis of microplastics in feces of terrestrial mammalian wildlife around Hong Kong
Siña, M., Kunz, A., Not, C., & Liou, S. Y. H. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-07672-5 · Cited by 17
Risk assessment of microplastics in fish assemblage based on ecological preferences in an interconnected and polluted river system
Aslam, M., Ahmad, S. R., Imtiaz, Z., Aslam, H. M. U., Baqar, M., & Qadir, A. (2023) · Human and Ecological Risk Assessment An International Journal · doi:10.1080/10807039.2023.2239942 · Cited by 13
Thermal degradation kinetics of calcium stearate/PVC composite
Guangbao, W., Shangsuo, Y., & Jijun, X. (2020) · Results in Materials · doi:10.1016/j.rinma.2020.100123 · Cited by 13
A comprehensive review on microplastics: Their presence in surface and ground water, environmental distribution, and impact on human and aquatic systems
Rashid, K., Ali, S., Chaudhry, A. H., Sial, N., Akram, M. R., & Aslam, M. (2026) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181547 · Cited by 12
Ingestion of Polyvinylchloride Powder Particles Induces Oxidative Stress and Hepatic Histopathological Changes in Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia)—A Preliminary Study
Jawdhari, A., Mihailescu, D. F., Stan, M. S., Bălănescu, M.-V., Vlăsceanu, R.-I., Staicu, A. C., Crăciun, N., & Deák, G. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15086494 · Cited by 13
Plastic Debris in the Stomach of the Invasive Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus from a Baltic Coastal River
Dobrzycka-Krahel, A., Skóra, M. E., & Pladzyk, A. (2024) · Water · doi:10.3390/w16060903 · Cited by 16
Exposure pathway derived accumulation of microplastics in freshwater fish: A critical review
Gao, J. Q., Shen, T., Wang, L., Yang, Q., Wang, J., & Zhang, D. (2025) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140270 · Cited by 11
A probabilistic risk framework for microplastics integrating uncertainty across toxicological and environmental variability: Development and application to marine and freshwater ecosystems
Coffin, S., Bertrand, L., Ahmed, K. T., Leite, L. D. S., Cowger, W., Siña, M., Barrick, A., Kukkola, A. T., Almroth, B. C., Miller, E. L., et al. (2026) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.141021 · Cited by 13
Consumption of polypropylene caused some ultrastructural and physiological changes in some tissues of Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae
Rost-Roszkowska, M. M., Mermer, P., Chajec, Ł., Sosinka, A., Wilczek, G., Student, S., Wrońska, A. K., & Karnówka, O. (2024) · The European Zoological Journal · doi:10.1080/24750263.2024.2308529 · Cited by 11
“Plastics consumed by animals will cause numerous lethal effects, so cells in their tissues and organs will be damaged (Anguissola et al. 2014; Rodriguez-Seijo et al. 2017; Chae et al. 2018; Pitt et al. 2018; Jâms 2020).”
Background
Marine macro-litter mass outweighs biomass in trawl catches along abyssal seafloors of Sardinia channel (Italy)
Carreras-Colom, E., Follesa, M. C., Carugati, L., Mulas, A., Bellodi, A., & Cau, A. (2024) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-024-33909-3 · Cited by 11
“Moreover, the interaction of marine litter with a wide array of organisms ranging from zooplankton to marine mammals (Jâms et al. 2020) has received great attention both in the scientific and popular media fields (MacLeod et al. 2021).”
Background
Presence of microplastic in the Patella caerulea from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea
Yücel, N., & Kılıç, E. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114684 · Cited by 13
Thermomechanically stable supramolecular elastomers inspired by heat shock proteins
Wu, Q., Liu, H., Xiong, H., Hou, Y., Peng, Y., Zhao, L., & Wu, J. (2023) · Materials Horizons · doi:10.1039/d3mh01737k · Cited by 11
Microplastics in Grouper Fish (Genera Epinephelus) Gastrointestinal Tract from Pramuka Island, Seribu Islands, Indonesia
Assuyuti, Y. M., Utomo, A., & Putri, L. S. E. (2022) · Journal of Ecological Engineering · doi:10.12911/22998993/145466 · Cited by 14
“According to Jâms et al. (2020), the smallest to largest size of MPs can be digested by all animals.”
BackgroundMethod
Changes in (micro and macro) plastic pollution in the sediment of three sandy beaches in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in relation to seasonality, beach use and granulometry
Piperagkas, O., & Papageorgiou, N. (2021) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113014 · Cited by 12
Can the mass of plastic ingested by seabirds be predicted by the number of ingested items?
Bond, A. L., & Lavers, J. L. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114673 · Cited by 10
Recalculating national occurrence of microplastics in China’s freshwater
Xu, D., & Gao, B. (2025) · Cell Reports Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100302 · Cited by 10
Uptake of Microplastics in the Wedge Clam Donax trunculus: First Evidence from the Mediterranean Sea
Olivieri, Z., Cesarini, G., Orsini, M., Santis, S. D., & Scalici, M. (2022) · Water · doi:10.3390/w14244095 · Cited by 14
Microplastics: A Review of Methodology for Sampling and Characterizing Environmental and Biological Samples
Shoopman, C., & Pan, X. (2021) · Methods in molecular biology · doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-1514-0_25 · Cited by 10
Antibiotic resistance at environmental multi-media interfaces through integrated genotype and phenotype analysis
Fu, C.-X., Chen, C., Xiang, Q., Wang, Y., Wang, L., Qi, F.-Y., Zhu, D., Li, H.-Z., Li, C., Hong, W., et al. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136160 · Cited by 9
The feeding mode effect: influence on particle ingestion by four invertebrates from Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters
Andrade, C., Sepúlveda, T., Pinto, B., Rivera, C. N., Aldea, C., & Urbina, M. A. (2025) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-025-36144-6 · Cited by 12
“Studies have previously reported a positive correlation between body size and MP abundance in marine pelagic organisms (Jâms et al. 2020; Covernton et al. 2021), suggesting that body size may influence the size and abundance of ingested plastic particles (Hamilton et al. 2021; Jiang et al. 2022).”
First report on the detection of microplastics from the feathers of black-tailed gulls in South Korea
Jeong, I.-Y., Seo, J.-H., & Yoo, J. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115592 · Cited by 9
Occurrence Characteristics and Ecotoxic Effects of Microplastics in Environmental Media: a Mini Review
Wang, Y., Fu, Z., Guan, D., Zhao, J., Zhang, Q., Liu, Q., Xie, J., Sun, Y., & Guo, L. (2023) · Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s12010-023-04832-z · Cited by 9
“Once they enter soil environments, it becomes easier for MPs to be ingested by organisms, altering soil properties and affecting soil biological functions and diversity [64].”
Atmospheric Microplastics Emission Source Potentials and Deposition Patterns in Semi‐Arid Croplands of Northern China
Long, X., Zhang, S., Huang, D., Chang, C., Peng, C., Liu, K., Wang, K., Liu, X., Fu, T., Han, Y., et al. (2024) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2024jd041546 · Cited by 8
Plastic pollutants: From wastes to fuels and high-value chemicals
Poonia, K., Dinh, D. A., Singh, P., Ahamad, T., Thakur, S., Raizada, P., Quang, H. H. P., Khan, A. A. P., & Nguyen, V. (2025) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2025.116562 · Cited by 8
Effect of Epoxidized Soybean Oil on Biodegradation and Mechanical Performances of Thermoplastic Starch/Poly(Butylene Adipate‐Co‐Terephthalate)
Intranuwong, J., Nongyai, N., Shin, S. K., Kim, M., & Kwon, Y. K. (2025) · Journal of Applied Polymer Science · doi:10.1002/app.57401 · Cited by 8
Microplastics and ecosystem services: persistence, disruption mechanisms, and mitigation strategies
Gokila, B., Duraisamy, J., Guruanand, C., & Arumugam, R. D. (2025) · Environmental Reviews · doi:10.1139/er-2025-0080 · Cited by 8
Scientific knowledge gaps on the biology of non-fish marine species across European Seas
Abucay, L. R., Sorongon-Yap, P., Kesner‐Reyes, K., Capuli, E. C., Reyes, R. B., Daskalaki, E., Ferrà, C., Scarcella, G., Coro, G., Ordines, F., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2023.1198137 · Cited by 8
Burnt Plastic (Pyroplastic) from the M/V X-Press Pearl Ship Fire and Plastic Spill Contain Compounds That Activate Endocrine and Metabolism-Related Human and Fish Transcription Factors
James, B. D., Medvedev, A. V., Medvedeva, L. A., Martsen, E., Gorman, K. L., Lin, B., Makarov, S. S., Aluwihare, L. I., de Vos, A., Reddy, C. M., et al. (2024) · Environment & Health · doi:10.1021/envhealth.4c00172 · Cited by 8
Recycled PS and PET hybrid nanofiber filter media: enhancing mechanical strength for air filtration
Lima, F. D. A., Chagas, P. A. M., Vieira, A. C. C., Blanco, G. E. D. O., Aguiar, M. L., & Guerra, V. G. (2025) · Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.jiec.2025.07.033 · Cited by 7
Microplastics in different tissues of historical and live samples of endangered mega-fish (Acipenser sinensis) and their potential relevance to exposure pathways
Zheng, Y., Huang, S., Fan, H., Liu, H., Xu, J., Craig, N. J., Li, J., He, W., & Su, L. (2024) · Aquatic Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.106943 · Cited by 8
From Plastic Waste to Green Hydrogen and Valuable Chemicals Using Sunlight and Water
Nguyen, T. K. A., Trần‐Phú, T., Daiyan, R., Ta, X. M. C., Amal, R., & Tricoli, A. (2024) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.202401746 · Cited by 7
Digesting Planetary Harms: Ocean Life, Biomaterial Innovation, and Uncanny Ingestions of the Anthropocene
Dickinson, H., & Johnson, E. (2022) · HoST - Journal of History of Science and Technology · doi:10.2478/host-2022-0015 · Cited by 6
Effects of plastic ingestion on blood chemistry, gene expression and body condition in wedge-tailed shearwaters ( Ardenna pacifica )
Mejia, N., Termignoni‐García, F., Learned, J., Penniman, J. F., & Edwards, S. V. (2024) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.18566 · Cited by 6
A Straightforward Approach for the Removal of Microplastics from Water: Utilization of SLIPS
Ebrahimi, M., Azizian, S., Eslamipanah, M., & Jaleh, B. (2025) · ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · doi:10.1021/acsami.5c07177 · Cited by 6
Microplastic pollution in a small fishing port in Zonguldak/Turkey
Bayık, G. D., & AYDEMİR, E. (2023) · Environmental Research and Technology · doi:10.35208/ert.1204883 · Cited by 6
Polystyrene Microparticles and the Functional Traits of Invertebrates: A Case Study on Freshwater Shrimp Neocardina heteropoda
Kučera, J., Belišová, N., Mackuľak, T., Ryba, J., Douda, K., Bondarev, D., Slavík, O., Tamáš, M., Escobar‐Calderón, F., & Horký, P. (2022) · Fishes · doi:10.3390/fishes7060323 · Cited by 6
Spatial Distribution of Microplastic Contamination in the Invasive Red Sea Mussel Brachidontes pharaonis (Fischer P., 1870) Around the İskenderun Bay
Yücel, N., & Kılıç, E. (2023) · Journal of Agricultural Production · doi:10.56430/japro.1232650 · Cited by 6
“Size of extracted MP was is usually limited with the size of the animal (Jâms et al., 2020).”
Background
Impacts of anthropogenic activities on the ecology and ecosystem service delivery of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia
Merga, L. B. (2021) · doi:10.18174/536456 · Cited by 6
The density of virgin, consumer and environmental plastics: An investigation using gas displacement pycnometry
Turner, A., Jones, K. L., & Filella, M. (2025) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179457 · Cited by 5
From a Global Archived Data Perspective: Larger Bivalves Mean More Microplastics?
Wang, X., Jabeen, K., Zhu, L., Liu, K., Chen, F., Wu, R., & Li, D. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c00762 · Cited by 5
Impact of Microplastics on Flora and Fauna
Reshi, Q. M., Ahmed, I., Ahmad, I., & Fazio, F. (2023) · BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks · doi:10.2174/9789815165104123010006 · Cited by 5
Cobras in peril: Reporting the death of two monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) (Squamata: Elapidae) due to consumption of anthropogenic plastic debris
Mahapatra, A. D., Santra, V., Jana, S., & Ghorai, S. K. (2023) · Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity · doi:10.1016/j.japb.2023.01.008 · Cited by 5
Susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis to twelve antibiotics, time-kill assays, and high-level aminoglycoside resistance in a university hospital in Argentina.
Predari, S. C., Gutiérrez, M. A., Ribas, C., Molinari, G., & Santoianni, J. E. (1991) · PubMed · Cited by 5
Size-specific distribution, morphology, and polymer composition of microplastic particles in surface water and sediments of Tokyo Bay
Ueda, K., Kameda, Y., Fujita, E., Fujimura, G., Fukazawa, E., Numazawa, Y., Iwasaki, Y., & Naito, W. (2025) · Microplastics and Nanoplastics · doi:10.1186/s43591-025-00168-z · Cited by 5
“Smaller MPs, especially those 100 μm, have garnered attention due to their higher bioavailability to plankton and other low-trophic-level organisms [6].”
The effects of plastic pollution on biodiversity
Savoca, M. S., Murphy, E. L., Brandon, A. M., Hampton, L. M. T., Roman, L., Kong, M., Fernandes, M. E., Abrokwah, S., Darter, C., Galgani, F., et al. (2026) · Nature Reviews Biodiversity · doi:10.1038/s44358-026-00170-0 · Cited by 5
“Plastic size, specifically as related to the organism’s gape size, is the most important determinant of ingestion and effect 35 .”
Preliminary Assessment into the Prevalence and Distribution of Microplastics in North and South Pacific Island Beaches
Bleszynski, M., & Clark, E. (2023) · Microplastics · doi:10.3390/microplastics2030018 · Cited by 4
Investigation of Microplastic Contamination in Diadema Setosum Obtained from a Fishing Barn
Kılıç, E., & Uğurlu, E. (2024) · Turkish Journal of Maritime and Marine Sciences · doi:10.52998/trjmms.1479819 · Cited by 5
A 6-year survey of plastic ingestion by aquatic birds in southern Portugal
Rao, S., Nicastro, K. R., Casero, M., McQuaid, C. D., & Zardi, G. I. (2021) · Marine and Freshwater Research · doi:10.1071/mf21221 · Cited by 4
The first full-congener analysis of 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the blubber of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) stranded along the coast of Savu Island, Indonesia
Falahudin, D., Herandarudewi, S. M. C., Hukom, F. D., Arifin, Z., Wulandari, I., Sudaryanto, A., Hoang, A. Q., Watanabe, I., & Takahashi, S. I. (2023) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163008 · Cited by 4
Impact of Endocrine‐Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) Used in the Food Industry on Endocrine Abnormalities
Serrano‐López, P. D., Ocampo‐Juárez, F. B., Magaña‐Rodríguez, A., & Téllez‐Morales, J. A. (2025) · Food Safety and Health · doi:10.1002/fsh3.70033 · Cited by 3
“The presence of plastic particles in the food chain could, therefore, pose a public health risk (Jâms et al. 2020).”
An effect factor for macro- and microplastic ingestion impacts on marine ecosystems for use in life cycle assessment
Marhoon, A., Murphy, E. L., Høiberg, M. A., Borgelt, J., Dorber, M., & Verones, F. (2025) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118968 · Cited by 3
Toxic effects of polyethylene-microplastics on freshwater fish species: Implications for human health
Bobori, D. C., Dimitriadi, A., Feidantsis, K. G., Samiotaki, A., Fafouti, D., Sampsonidis, I., Kalogiannis, S., Kastrinaki, G., Lambropoulou, D. A., Kyzas, G. Z., et al. (2022) · Public Health Toxicology · doi:10.18332/pht/149614 · Cited by 3
Processes for the treatment of biomedical wastes: challenges and issues
Lade, V. G., Chavhan, S. K., Shirsat, S. P., & Bhanvase, B. A. (2023) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-90909-9.00007-1 · Cited by 3
First Report of Plastic and Artificial Cellulose Ingestion by Freshwater Turtles in the Amazon
Santos, A. L. P., de Oliveira, T. D. A. P., Sforzi, L., Pezzuti, J. C. B., Miorando, P. S., Rebelo, L. G. B., Bezerra, A. M., Martellini, T., Chelazzi, D., Cincinelli, A., et al. (2025) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/s11270-025-07877-4 · Cited by 4
“Once plastic enter aquatic environments, they pose a threat to the aquatic biota and habitats (Azevedo-Santos et al., 2019), and plastic ingestion by aquatic wildlife has been reported (Jâms et al., 2020).”
Effect assessment of nano- and microplastics in freshwater ecosystems
Redondo‐Hasselerharm, P. E. (2020) · doi:10.18174/533220 · Cited by 3
Hierarchical and Cascading Changes in the Functional Traits of Soil Animals Induced by Microplastics: A Meta-AnalysisPreprint
Su, P., Bu, N., Li, Z., Wang, J., Zhang, D., Chu, K., Yao, Y., Sun, Q., Luo, Y., Zhang, R., et al. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4156269 · Cited by 3
Mortality from plastic ingestion and net entanglement in marine birds - description of three cases
Garcês, A., Soeiro, V., Lóio, S., & Pires, I. C. R. (2024) · Veterinarski glasnik · doi:10.2298/vetgl240509014g · Cited by 2
A best practice framework for assessing plastic ingestion in marine turtles
González‐Paredes, D., Duncan, E. M., Godley, B. J., Marsh, H., & Hamann, M. (2025) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117944 · Cited by 2
Recent advances in thermal oxidative upcycling strategy of waste plastics under mild conditions
Wang, B., Lou, L., Peng, C., Wu, Z., Zhang, Y., Liu, C., Liu, S., & Yu, K. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.168475 · Cited by 3
Evidence on microplastic exposure and respiratory health outcomes: a systematic review
Chen, C., Luo, L., Zheng, Y., Ran, L., Li, Z., Zhongliang, G., Li, Q., Ji, Y., Hua, J., & Wang, N. (2026) · Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease · doi:10.1177/17534666261465486 · Cited by 2
“40 MPs bioaccumulate in marine species, 41,42 with nearly half of 338 fish species containing MPs (3.5 ± 0.8 particles/ fish), 43 thereby enabling trophic transfer to humans.”
Influential
Silicates as alternative pretreatment for cellulose pulp to obtain nanofibrils for application in biodegradable packaging: a technical review
Mascarenhas, A. R. P., Scatolino, M. V., do Lago, R. C., de Medeiros, D. T., Batista, F. G., Setter, C., de Melo, R. R., Martins, M. A., & Tonoli, G. H. D. (2024) · CERNE · doi:10.1590/01047760202330013354 · Cited by 1
Micro- and Mesoplastic Consumption Tendency of Exaiptasia diaphana Sea Anemones
Kaliszewicz, A., Czyżewska, A., Karaban, K., Olejniczak, I., & Boniecki, P. (2025) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani15030405 · Cited by 1
“For instance, Jâms et al. [40] estimated that a zooplankton animal 13.5 mm in length is able to ingest a piece of plastic 0.86 mm long.”
Influential
Public Participation in EU Legislation? Recommendations for Involving Citizen Scientists in Anthropogenic Litter Research Within the Water Framework Directive
Schönberg, J., Böhm‐Beck, M., Trdan, Š., Grego, M., Knoblauch, D., Hinzmann, M., Dittmann, S., Knickmeier, K., Robič, U., Thiel, M., et al. (2025) · Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems · doi:10.1002/aqc.70192 · Cited by 1
Biogeographic biases in microplastic ingestion research mask biodiversity and consumption risks across benthic invertebrates
Ao, S., Cowger, W., Resh, V. H., Chiu, M., Zhang, D., Xu, Y., Patil, A. J., Guo, Z., Sun, X., & Xu, Y. (2025) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2025.125115 · Cited by 2
The driver of oil fate in nearshore environments: MOPAs-mediated vertical transport and ecotoxicity
Sun, Y., Lu, D., Wang, X., Dong, R., Yin, J., Xie, G., Lu, J., Bao, M., & Li, H. (2025) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2025.125264 · Cited by 1
Antarctic threats: anthropogenic microfibers and plasticizers in the scallop Adamussium colbecki from the Ross Sea
Ferrari, E., Barbieri, M. V., Russo, R., Balasch, A., Ferrari, V., Simonetti, S., Birarda, G., Vaccari, L., Bergami, E., Eljarrat, E., et al. (2026) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2026.124412 · Cited by 2
Early Life Microplastic Exposure Impairs Mouse Incisor Enamel Formation
Li, Y., Zheng, J., Yu, S., Shi, Q., Wan, M., & Zheng, L. (2026) · Calcified Tissue International · doi:10.1007/s00223-026-01535-5 · Cited by 2
Preliminary assessment of microplastic pollution in commercial freshwater fish species collected from four districts in Bac Ninh province
Mai, H., Ngo, T. T. N., Nguyen, D. T., Bui, V. H., Dao, T. D., Dang, T. T., & Do, V. M. (2023) · Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology/Science and Technology · doi:10.15625/2525-2518/17926 · Cited by 1
WITHDRAWN: Scattered accumulation hotspots of macro-litter on the seafloor: insights for mitigation actions
Cau, A., Franceschini, S., Moccia, D., Gorule, P. A., Agus, B., Bellodi, A., Cannas, R., Carugati, L., Cuccu, D., Dessì, C., et al. (2021) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118232 · Cited by 1
Retracted
REVIVING THE NATION'S PUBLIC WATER UTILITIES TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE UNITED STATES
Ahmed, S. A., Oldfield-Blanks, S., & Moore, B. (2022) · Performance Improvement Journal · doi:10.56811/pfi-20-0047
Consumption of polypropylene by Galleria mellonella (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) larvae did not cause degenerative changes in internal organsPreprint
Rost-Roszkowska, M. M., Mermer, P., Chajec, Ł., Sosinka, A., Wilczek, G., Student, S., Wrońska, A. K., & Karnówka, O. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2773415/v1

Authors: Jâms, I. B., Windsor, F. M., Poudevigne-Durance, T., Ormerod, S. J., & Durance, I.
Affiliations: Cardiff University (GB)
Corresponding author: Durance, Isabelle
ORCID: Windsor, Fredric M.
Poudevigne-Durance, Thomas
Ormerod, Steve J.
Durance, Isabelle
Venue: Nature Communications
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2020-03-27
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Pages: 1594-1594
ISSN: 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15406-6
PMC: PMC7101383
OpenAlex: W3013106828
Cited by: 223
References: 27
Citations by year: 2026: 19 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 13
FWCI: 8.52
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: gold
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 (tdm)
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 (vor)
Locations: Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity) (cc-by)
Funders: Natural Environment Research Council (1642617, NE/L002434/, L002434)
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 › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Turtle Biology and Conservation
Keywords: plastic ingestion, allometric relationships, animal body size, gut content analysis, marine fauna, microplastics
MeSH terms: Animals, Eating, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Pollution, Fishes, Particle Size, Plastics, Zooplankton, Ecosystem, Body Size

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Estimating the size distribution of plastics ingested by animals

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Figures

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Self-check

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks