875:
42:
458:
26:
887:
64:
49:
232:, lying in shallow volcanic craters and sustained by underground water. A northern group of lakes – Alchichica, Quechulac, Atexcac, and La Preciosa – lie southeast of Lake Tepeyahualco, and the southern lakes, Aljojuca and San Miguel Tecuitlapa, lie southeast of Lake Totolcinco. The basin also has five dry maars, called
504:, is the largest of the maar lakes of the Oriental Basin, and lies at an elevation of 2320 meters. It is Mexico's deepest natural lake, with a maximum depth of 64 meters, and a mean depth of 38.6 meters. The lake has an area of 1.81 square kilometers. It is both saline and alkaline (pH 8.7-9.2).
212:
ecoregion occupies the center of the basin, and extend south into the Tehuacán and
Cuicatlán valleys. Vegetation includes pine-oak forests and pine-fir forests at higher elevations, with dry scrub pine forests, oak forests, juniper scrub, yucca scrub,
224:. Two ephemeral playa lakes, Totolcinco (El Carmen or Totolcingo) and Tepeyahualco (El Salado), lie in the lowest part of the basin (2300 meters elevation), and remain dry for most of the year. The basin includes six
511:
deposits and a high degree of endemism. The biota has adapted to extreme conditions characterized by high ionic concentrations of water and poor nutrient content. The dominant stromatolite species are the spongy type
797:
Alcocer, Javier (2003). "The future of salt lakes: the case of Mexico". Abstract, "Environmental Future of
Aquatic Ecosystems," 5th International Conference on Environmental Future, 23–27 March 2003, Zurich.
189:
The climate is temperate and subtropical, semi-arid to subhumid, with summer rains. Average annual temperature 12-16 °C, and annual total precipitation is 400–800 mm. The
782:
Caballero, Margarita; Gloria
Vilcara, Alejandro Rodríguez, Diana Juarez. "Short-term climatic change in lake sediments from lake Alchchica, Oriental, Mexico".
190:
912:
258:
for irrigation and destruction of natural recharging areas. In addition, the government is considering pumping freshwater from the
Oriental basin to
282:, of the Oriental Basin are home to a closely knit set of endemic species, one at each crater lake. Some of these include the Atherinopsid fishes
942:
947:
907:
100:
41:
809:
Bruton, Michael N. "Have fishes had their chips? The dilemma of threatened fishes". Environmental
Biology of Fishes 43: l-27, 1995.
917:
638:
343:
system of freshwater ecoregions includes the
Oriental Basin with the Valley of Mexico, Lerma River, and Lake Chapala in their
932:
927:
818:"Lerma-Chapala". Freshwater Ecoregions of the World, World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy. Accessed October 18, 2009.
468:
196:
covers the mountains surrounding the basin to the west, north, and east. The mountains to the north and west, including the
865:
922:
205:
93:
497:
209:
784:
336:
855:"Cuenca Oriental", Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. Accessed October 17, 2009.
844:"Cuenca Oriental", Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. Accessed October 17, 2009.
771:"Cuenca Oriental", Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. Accessed October 17, 2009.
734:"Cuenca Oriental", Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. Accessed October 17, 2009.
937:
627:
536:
856:
845:
772:
735:
952:
297:
829:
Alcocer, Javier and
Alfonso Lugo. "Effects of El Niño on the dynamics of Lake Alchichica, central Mexico".
714:
697:
677:
514:
290:
240:
283:
248:
659:
653:
633:
304:
344:
327:
705:
671:
340:
316:
174:
in east-central Mexico. It covers an area of 4,958.60 square kilometers, lying in the states of
665:
457:
320:
255:
244:
159:
683:
197:
171:
25:
347:
freshwater ecoregion, based on faunal similarities, especially among the
Atherinopsids.
217:
vegetation, and grassland. It includes the Llanos de San Juan and Llanos de San Andres.
263:
901:
891:
598:
551:
221:
819:
879:
508:
746:
799:
689:
581:
573:
259:
201:
834:
623:
577:
547:
254:
Groundwater levels in the basin have been dropping in recent years because of
214:
483:
470:
115:
102:
554:
193:
542:
183:
179:
710:
501:
311:
175:
69:
332:
formerly native to the basin are presumed extinct since about 1970.
572:. 23 genera of phytoplankton have been found: fourteen genera of
456:
618:
sp. The best represented species best of vascular plants in the
275:
225:
709:(Alchichica silverside, Charal de Alchichica), and the
863:
132:
92:
87:
79:
18:
550:develop on the spongy stromatolites, with many
696:Animals endemic to Lake Alchichica include the
584:. The dominant species throughout the year are
349:
507:Lake Alchichica is ecologically unique, with
8:
546:sp. In the deep parts of the lake, abundant
191:Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
361:
358:
355:
352:
220:The basin contains several shallow, mostly
15:
870:
727:
833:(2003), Vol. 42, Num. 3, pp. 523-528.
788:(2003), Vol. 42, Num. 3, pp. 529-537.
48:
7:
687:, and the free-floating hydrophyte
669:, the submerged rooted hydrophytes
534:sp. and the columnar stromatolites
359:volume (millions of cubic meters)
14:
913:Endorheic basins of North America
356:surface area (square kilometers)
239:Chief towns in the basin include
885:
873:
241:El Carmen Tequexquitla, Tlaxcala
62:
47:
40:
24:
200:volcano, leave the valley in a
1:
83:2,360 m (7,740 ft)
943:Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
498:Tepeyahualco (municipality)
969:
747:"Tehuacán Valley matorral"
168:Cuenca de Libres-Oriental)
908:Drainage basins of Mexico
562:Heteroleibleinia profunda
35:
23:
948:Tehuacán Valley matorral
628:Eleocharis montevidensis
537:Enthophysalis lithophyla
210:Tehuacán Valley matorral
918:Flora of Central Mexico
831:Geofisica International
785:Geofísica Internacional
612:Stephanodiscus niagarae
558:Chamaesiphon halophilus
362:maximum depth (meters)
298:Chignahuapan silverside
751:Terrestrial Ecoregions
678:Potamogeton pectinatus
570:Xenococcus candelariae
462:
291:La Preciosa silverside
228:lakes, locally called
933:Landforms of Veracruz
928:Landforms of Tlaxcala
753:. World Wildlife Fund
460:
284:Alchichica silverside
152:Oriental-Serdán Basin
148:Libres-Oriental Basin
116:19.41667°N 97.40000°W
715:Caecidotea williamsi
660:Scirpus californicus
654:Phragmites australis
622:are rooted emergent
515:Enthophysalis atrata
305:Quechulac silverside
287:(Poblana alchichica)
146:, also known as the
923:Landforms of Puebla
701:(Ambystoma taylori)
698:Taylor's Salamander
608:Nodularia spumigena
594:Chaetoceros similis
480: /
310:. Three species of
121:19.41667; -97.40000
112: /
706:Poblana alchichica
672:Cyperus laevigatus
604:Cyclotella striata
463:
341:Nature Conservancy
317:Evarra bustamantei
164:Llanos de San Juan
666:Typha domingensis
649:J. mexicanus
484:19.417°N 97.400°W
465:Lake Alchichica (
450:
449:
256:over-exploitation
140:
139:
960:
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888:
878:
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566:Mantellum rubrum
495:
494:
492:
491:
490:
485:
481:
478:
477:
476:
473:
350:
262:to the west and
249:Oriental, Puebla
245:Perote, Veracruz
206:xeric shrublands
127:
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117:
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109:
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68:
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51:
50:
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30:Valley of Libres
28:
16:
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963:
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958:
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938:Maars of Mexico
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792:
781:
777:
770:
766:
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745:
744:
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684:Ruppia maritima
634:Juncus andicola
489:19.417; -97.400
488:
486:
482:
479:
474:
471:
469:
467:
466:
455:
453:Lake Alchichica
328:E. tlahuacensis
301:(P. ferdebueni)
294:(P. letholepis)
272:
198:Cofre de Perote
172:endorheic basin
156:San Juan Plains
120:
118:
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80:Floor elevation
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52:
31:
12:
11:
5:
966:
964:
956:
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953:Oriental Basin
950:
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837:
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764:
738:
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723:
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552:cyanobacterial
454:
451:
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368:
364:
363:
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354:
271:
268:
266:to the south.
222:alkaline lakes
144:Oriental Basin
138:
137:
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130:
129:
96:
90:
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81:
77:
76:
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55:Oriental Basin
54:
53:
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45:
39:
38:
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33:
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29:
21:
20:
19:Oriental Basin
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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656:
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636:
635:
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629:
625:
621:
617:
616:Synechocystis
613:
609:
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601:
600:
599:Coscinodiscus
595:
591:
587:
583:
579:
575:
571:
567:
563:
559:
556:
553:
549:
545:
544:
539:
538:
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529:
525:
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520:Enthophysalis
517:
516:
510:
505:
503:
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493:
459:
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445:
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389:
386:
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366:
365:
351:
348:
346:
345:Lerma-Chapala
342:
338:
333:
331:
329:
324:
322:
321:E. eigenmanni
318:
313:
309:
308:(P. squamata)
306:
302:
299:
295:
292:
288:
285:
281:
277:
269:
267:
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97:
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71:
43:
34:
27:
22:
17:
851:
840:
830:
825:
814:
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793:
783:
778:
767:
755:. Retrieved
750:
741:
730:
713:
704:
700:
695:
688:
682:
676:
670:
664:
658:
652:
648:
643:
639:
632:
626:
619:
615:
611:
607:
603:
597:
593:
589:
585:
580:and four of
569:
565:
561:
557:
541:
535:
531:
527:
523:
519:
513:
509:stromatolite
506:
464:
461:Atexcac Lake
381:La Preciosa
334:
326:
314:
307:
300:
293:
286:
279:
273:
253:
238:
233:
229:
219:
188:
167:
163:
155:
151:
147:
143:
141:
757:October 18,
703:, the fish
690:Lemna gibba
640:J. balticus
624:hydrophytes
582:Chlorophyta
574:Chrysophyta
548:cladophores
487: /
437:Tecuitlapa
367:Alchichica
260:Mexico City
202:rain shadow
119: /
94:Coordinates
902:Categories
722:References
620:axalpazcos
586:Agmenellum
578:Cyanophyta
576:, five of
395:Quechulac
280:axalpazcos
278:lakes, or
270:Maar lakes
234:xalapazcos
230:axalpazcos
215:halophytic
204:, and the
136:Río Salado
107:97°24′00″W
104:19°25′00″N
644:mexicanus
555:epiphytes
532:Calothrix
528:Parletina
524:Calothrix
409:Aljojuca
194:ecoregion
88:Geography
543:Nitzchia
423:Atexcac
184:Veracruz
180:Tlaxcala
170:, is an
866:Portals
642:subsp.
590:Amphora
475:97°24′W
472:19°25′N
208:of the
160:Spanish
128:
892:Mexico
711:isopod
647:(syn.
502:Puebla
303:, and
264:Puebla
247:; and
182:, and
176:Puebla
133:Rivers
70:Mexico
67:
880:Lakes
602:sp.,
592:sp.,
588:sp.,
496:) in
432:39.1
418:50.6
404:40.0
390:45.5
376:64.6
353:lake
759:2009
681:and
663:and
614:and
568:and
540:and
530:and
526:cf.
522:sp.
446:2.5
443:0.35
440:0.26
426:0.29
415:11.6
412:0.44
401:10.9
398:0.50
387:16.2
384:0.78
373:69.9
370:1.81
335:The
325:and
312:dace
276:maar
274:The
226:maar
158:(in
142:The
651:),
429:6.1
337:WWF
166:or
154:or
904::
749:.
693:.
675:,
657:,
637:,
631:,
610:,
606:,
596:,
564:,
560:,
518:,
500:,
319:,
296:,
289:,
251:.
243:;
236:.
186:.
178:,
162:,
150:,
868::
761:.
717:.
339:-
330:)
323:,
315:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
