Study on the Inhibitory Effects of Plant Distillates on Microbial Communities in the lampenflora of Karst Tourist Caves

Currently, the ecosystems of karst caves faces serious prpblems of biological weathering and environmental damage caused by lampenflora. This issue is exacerbated by artificial lighting sources and tourist activities in cave tourism development, which promote the excessive growth of these plants and result in the degradation of cave rocks and the surrounding ecological environment. Therefore, the management of lampenflora is a key task in cave ecosystem conservation. This study explores the inhibitory effects of plant distillates, specifically from mint, mugwort, and cinnamon, on lampenflora in karst caves as an eco-friendly and sustainable solution. Through experiments in Zhijin Cave, Guizhou Province, the inhibitory effects of different plant distillates at different concentrations on lampenflora communities and their microbial communities were studied. The results showed that mugwort distillate had the most significant inhibitory effect on bacterial and fungal communities, with microbial diversity and richness significantly reduced in samples treated with mugwort distillate. Mint and cinnamon distillates showed relatively weaker effects, with mint exhibiting selective inhibition on certain fungal species. Overall, plant distillates, particularly mugwort distillate, demonstrated great potential in protecting cave ecosystems, inhibiting lampenflora, and controlling associated microbial communities. The findings confirm that plant distillates can effectively suppress the growth of lampenflora, reduce microbial community richness and diversity, and thereby slow down the biological weathering process in caves. This research provides a new and sustainable solution for the ecological management in karst caves, which has high application value and environmental adaptability.