Ambystoma Research Title

Axolotls are one of the most at-risk animal groups in the world, being categorized as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Axolotls are endemic to the Xochimilco lake system in Mexico, which is now reduced to an area only 1% of its historical size (Parra‐Olea et al. 2012). Recent surveys show that the remaining population has decreased substantially due to overexploitation, introduced species, and habitat modification (Zambrano et al. 2007). Starting in the 1990s (Figure 3), axolotl monitoring programs showed that density of axolotls at their natural habitats decreased from 6,000 per km2 in 1998 to around 100 in 2008, and has continued declining to fewer than 35 axolotls per km2 in 2014 (Voss et al. 2015). The most recent survey in 2019 estimated that there are only 50–1,000 axolotls remain in the wild. As such, approaches for cryopreservation of axolotl gametes and established germplasm repositories is urgently needed.

Axolotl is a popular research model for scientists around the globe to study regeneration. The axolotl model provides the opportunity to understand the behavior of cells to give the desired outcome of controlled growth and pattern formation leading to regeneration rather than aging and cancer (McCusker and Gardiner, 2011). The AGGRC partners with the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC), Lexington, Kentucky, which maintains and distributes axolotl embryos, larvae, and adults to laboratories and classrooms throughout the United States and abroad. Current focus of this collaborative project is establishment of protocols for sperm cryopreservation and related reproductive technologies.