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Cheetos Sparked Cave Ecosystem Uproar
19 Oct
Summary
- A dropped Cheetos bag in Carlsbad Caverns created a temporary food web.
- Microbes and fungi thrived on the processed corn in high humidity.
- Rangers cleaned the bag and mold with a toothbrush in 20 minutes.
In the summer of 2023, a visitor's discarded bag of Cheetos in Carlsbad Caverns National Park's Big Room created a significant, albeit temporary, ecological disturbance. The cave's 90-100% humidity caused the processed corn to soften, creating an ideal environment for microbial life and fungi.
This unexpected food source led to the congregation of cave crickets, mites, spiders, and flies, establishing a localized food web. Molds spread rapidly, causing a noticeable odor and further impacting the immediate area before decomposition.
Park rangers promptly addressed the littering incident. They successfully removed the Cheetos bag and meticulously cleaned the affected surfaces with a toothbrush to eliminate the mold and fungi, a process that took approximately 20 minutes.
The National Park Service utilized the event to educate the public about the profound effects of seemingly small, avoidable actions on natural environments. They emphasized that while some impacts are incidental, littering can have substantial consequences for sensitive ecosystems like those found within caves.
