ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT PROMOTE THE REPRODUCTION OF THE XOCHIMILCO AXOLOTL UNDER HUMAN CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

The Xochimilco’s Axolotl is a critically endangered amphibian, and its population has been declining due to habitat loss from anthropogenic activities. Currently this situation has resulted in ex-situ conservation efforts by creating breeding axolotl  colonies under professional care. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review was to answer the question: what are the environmental factors that promote the Xochimilco Axolotl’s reproduction under professional care? For this, a systematic review was carried out using inclusion and exclusion criteria filters that were previously established specifically for document selection describing environmental factors focused on the Xochimilco Axolotl. The following bibliographic data base were used: ScienceDirect, RedALYC, sciELO. Also three search engines were used: Google Scholar, BIDIUNAM and ResarchGate from November to December 2022. As a result, a totoal of 6,049 documents were gathered, of which 19 documents were eligible for the systematic review considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria filters. The environmental factors reported that promote Xochimilco Axolotl reproduction are temperature, water quality, dimensions and environmental enrichment, axolotl characteristics and photoperiod. Most of the authors concur that these factors should be used together for successful reproduction. However, qualitative studies are neccessary to better establish scientific evidence at the time of evaluating these environmental factors. The aim of the present review is to inform the reader about the factors that allow successful axolotl reproduction under professional care and to improve its conservation.