Axolotl's Ecology

Axolotl's Habitat

Axolotls only live in one lake in the world, and it is called Lake Xochimilco in Mexico, they live in heavy vegetation and are carnivores. They eat small fish, incest's, and even other axolotls. The axolotl's natural environment is decreasing due to an environmental disturbance cause by human pollution and urbanization. This also causes the axolotl to have a very high mortality rate because of the pollution most of them do not make it to full sexual maturity. due to the fact axolotls are only found in one lake in the world their population density is very low. there is only about 50-1000 left in this lake and it only continues to decline.

Axolotls Niche

Axolotls Prey

Axolotls in the wild and are carnivores. They mainly eat incest's smaller fish and even other small axolotls. Oe of their main food source is worms. This tends to b their main food source because they are easy to find and dont put up much of a fight.

Axolotls And Plants

Axolotls do not like one type of plant more then another. axolotls tend to hide more during the day and are more active at night. during the day the axolotl will burry itself in plants to hide from predators then emerge when there are no predators around,

Axolotls Predators

Axolotls dont have many natural predators. The stork is one of their main predators and that is because they wade through the shallows where the axolotls live. storks will eat anything that can fit in their mouth and when they catch movement the stork pounces and try to catch whatever they saw move even if that was an axolotl. This can cause their death rate to be very high and makes it very hard for them to reproduce.

Organisms that live with Axolotls

Bassariscus Astutus

Common Name- Ringtail

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Ringtails are small mammals that a lot of people believed were related to cat. However, they are actually related to racoons. Ringtails have a very vast habitat that ranges from Mexico to the Midwestern parts of the United States. They prefer dry rocky habitats next to a water source even though they are excellent climbers.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Mammalia

Order- Carnivora

Family- Procyonidae

Genus- Bassariscus

Species- Bassariscus astutus

Pandion Haliaetus

Common Name- Osprey/Sea Hawk

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Ospreys are a large predatory bird that bases majority of its diet on fish. this bird will plunge feet first into the water to catch a fish then pull itself out of the water with its catch in its talons. because fish is the staple in these birds diet you will mostly find them along the coastal regions of the United States and Mexico. but you also may see them flying around large water sources like lakes and rivers.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Aves

Order- Accipitriformes

Family- Pandionidae

Genus- Pandion

Species- Pandion Haliaetus

Hypophthalmichthys Nobilis

Common Name- Bighead Carp

Endangerment Status- Decreasing

Description

This fish was introduced to Lake Xochimilco, this fish is a large filter feeder. This fish is able to grow and reproduce very quickly, but even though it has the ability to reproduce quickly the numbers of these fish are still decreasing. these fish originate from southern and central China.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Actinopterygii

Order- Cyprinidae

Family- Cyprinidae

Genus- Hypophthalmichthys

Species-Hypophthalmichthys Nobilis

Micropterus Salmoides

Common Name- Largemouth Bass

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Larg mouth basses are also not native to this lake but were introduced. Largemouth bass are one of the apex predators of the freshwater world and will eat almost anything that fits in their mouth. these fish have a very large habitat range and live almost anywhere there is water. This fish is believed to be one of the leading factors to the Axolotls being critically endangered.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Actinopterygii

Order- Perciformes

Family- Centrarchidae

Genus- Micropterus

Species- Micropterus Salmoides

Oreochromis Niloticus

Common Name- Nile Tilapia

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Nile Tilapia were also introduced to Lake Xochimilco. These fish can put a lot of stress on native species because they mainly prey on amphibians or smaller fish which allows them to out compete native fish for food and also does not allow the axolotl population to grow since they cannot reproduce very quickly. These fish originate from the Nile River basins and most of Africa.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Actinopterygii

Order- Perciformes

Family- Cichlidae

Genus- Oreochromis

Species- Oreochromis Niloticus

Oxidus gracilis

Common Name- Greenhouse Millipede

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Greenhouse millipedes may look scary but the actually only feed on decaying plant matter. these insects do not cause harm to plants unless the soil dries up then they will eat plant roots to obtain moisture. They may also secrete a strong smell to try and scare off predators if they are startled.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum-Arthropoda

Class- Diplopoda

Order- Polydesmida

Family-Paradoxosomatidae

Genus- Oxidus

Species- Oxidus gracilis

Lumbricus Terrestris

Common Name- Common Earthworm

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

The common earthworm is a very weird and unique creature. this insect does not have any eyes or ears but have sensors that can sense light and vibrations in the ground. another cool thing is earthworms' breath through their skin and do not have a nose. these worms can be found almost anywhere there is damp soil and decaying plant matter.

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Annelida

Class- Clitellata

Order- Haplotaxida

Family- Lumbricidae

Genus- Lumbricus

Species- Lumbricus Terrestris

Agaricus Campestris

Common Name- Feild Mushroom

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

These mushrooms originate from Britain and Irland but have found their way across the seas. These mushrooms are one of the few you can eat if cooked properly. they also have a smooth surface and are mainly white but may have a few brown patches. There is also a chance that this mushroom may not come back for a few years at a time.

Kingdom- Fungi

Phylum- Basidiomycota

Class- Agaricomycetes

Order- Agaricales

Family- Agaricaceae

Genus- Agaricus

Species- Agaricus campestris

Lemna Minor

Common Name- Duckweed

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Duckweed does not actually grow in the soil but floating on the surface of water. some of the duckweed plants may have roots whil others may not. also, some duckweed species produce the smallest flower at less the .3mm wide. This plant is also a major food source for many animals because it has a very high protein level.

Kingdom- Plantae

Phylum- Tracheophyta

Class- Lilipsida

Order- Alismatales

Family- Araceae

Genus- Lemna

Species- Lemna Minor

Typha Domingensis

Common Name- Southern Cat-Tail

Endangerment Status- Least Concern

Description

Cattails are unlike any other plant. all of their seeds are stored at the top in the hot-dog like structure. this allows the seed to be dispersed when there is a strong wind. also, cat-tails have developed a way to get air to the roots in stagnate water by absorbing air through their thin membrane and moving it o the root.

Kingdom- Plantae

Phylum- Tracheophyta

Class- Liliosida

Order- Poales

Family- Typhaceae

Genus- Typha

Species- Typha Domingensis

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