Disposable surgical masks affect the decomposition of Zostera muelleri.

Sebastian G Litchfield, Melissa Tan, Kai G Schulz, Brendan P Kelaher

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Marine pollution bulletin, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sebastian G LitchfieldNational Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.

Melissa TanNational Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.

Kai G SchulzCentre for Coastal Biogeochemistry and School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, East Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.

Brendan P KelaherNational Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia. Electronic address: brendan.kelaher@scu.edu.au.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a surge in the use of both disposable and re-usable mask pollution globally. It is important to understand the potential impact this influx of novel pollution has on key ecological processes, such as detrital dynamics. We aimed to understand the impact mask pollution has on the decomposition of a common coastal seagrass, Zostera muelleri. Using an outdoor mesocosm system with heater chiller units and a gas mixer, we were able to test the impact of both re-usable single-ply homemade cotton masks and disposable surgical masks on samples of Z. muelleri detritus under different environmental conditions. We found that disposable masks, but not re-usable masks, significantly increased decomposition of Z. muelleri detritus. This may be due to the increased surface area available for detritivorous microorganism colonisation, driving further decomposition. This could have negative ramifications for seagrass communities and adjacent ecosystems.

Indexed as

Coronavirus InfectionsZosteraceaeEcosystemMasksPandemicsDetritusDisposableMasksPollutionRe-usable

Identifiers

PMID36774916

DOI10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114695

PMCPMC9911587

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.