An ecological disaster has occurred in the ecosystem of the American national park Carlsbad Caverns in the state of New Mexico.
A tourist left a bag of corn chips in the Big Cave.
This has triggered huge changes in the ecosystem, CNN reports.
According to park rules, visitors are prohibited from bringing any food with them.
Leaving a bag of chips in a cave may seem like a small thing, but it can make a huge difference to the lives of the cave's inhabitants.
Park rangers spent 20 minutes carefully removing the mold from the surface of the cave.
They also noted that some members of the ecosystem grew out of snacks, but many did not.
New microorganisms that appeared with a bag of chips could have caused the death of some cave dwellers.
The park believes that such actions by tourists, as in the case of the bag of chips, can cause enormous damage to the ecosystem.
