by Mexico City (AP)-Sixty years ago, the inhabitants of a district crossed in the channel were able to pluck in Mexico City of Axolotl-the large salamander, which is reminiscent of a tiny kite-with his hands out of the water because they were so plentiful. Now it is almost impossible to find them in the wild.
For this reason, scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexicos Xochimilcos are filtering cloudy water for traces of the DNA of the endangered creature.
“We all shed DNA on our way around the world, and this can be captured by filtering air or water,” said biologist Luis Zambrano from the university ecological restoration laboratory.
As you try to monitor the dwindling numbers of the Axolotls, scientists are increasingly relying on this technology, since their networks come back empty during regular population surveys that can only be found in Xochimilco.
They try water from the channels and filter it for the environment -DNA or the genetic particles that leave animals and plants that are in contact with the water. This is then compared to the profiles contained in a genetic library, which were compiled by British scientists a few years ago, said Esther Quintero from Conservation International in Mexico, which has been working with Zambrano since 2023.
Scientists collected water from 53 locations in Xochimilco: 10 inner silence on which water filtered and the water is cleaner and 43 outside of these areas. They found Axolotl -DNA within the protected areas and at one point outside of them.
With regard to the an unprotected area, Zambrano said “It is very little”, but a sign that there is the possibility of resistance, even if the environmental deterioration and the pollution of the channels are continued.
So far, the researchers have only searched a third of Xochimilco with the Environment DNA technology and manual work with networks, but they plan to continue the work and hopefully present an updated census in early next year.
However, the trend is not good. From an estimated 6,000 Axolotls per square kilometer in 1998 there was only 36 per square kilometer in 2014 in the last census in 2014.
Zambrano emphasizes that the work of his team has shown that the preservation works and that the efforts to protect the species also improve water quality, increase the number of pollinators in the region and that Mexico city of Xochimilcos uses water better, among other things.
But political decision -makers can do more, such as the opening of dance clubs, spas and soccer fields on Xochimilco’s traditional artificial islands, which are known as Chinese mampas. Instead, the government should encourage traditional agricultural production of the islands and ensure that farmers can actually make a living with it.
When its habitat is set, the Axolotl can take care of the rest.
“The Axolotl reproduces a lot because it lays a lot of eggs … it can easily recover and we know how,” said Zambrano.
___
Follow APS reporting on Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
