Recognizing how climate change will impact populations can aid in making decisions about approaches for conservation of endangered species. The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is a federally endangered species that, despite protection, remains in extremely arid, hot areas and may be at risk of extirpation due to climate change. We collected data on the field-active body temperatures, preferred body temperatures and upper thermal tolerance of G. sila. We then described available thermal habitat using biophysical models, which allowed us to (i) describe patterns in lizard body temperatures, microhabitat temperatures and lizard microhabitat use; (ii) quantify the lizards’ thermoregulatory accuracy; (iii) calculate the number of hours they are currently thermally restricted in microhabitat use; (iv) project how the number of restricted hours will change in the future as ambient temperatures rise; and (v) assess the importance of giant kangaroo rat burrows and shade-providing shrubs in the current and projected future thermal ecology of G. sila. Lizards maintained fairly consistent daytime body temperatures over the course of the active season, and use of burrows and shrubs increased as the season progressed and ambient temperatures rose. During the hottest part of the year, lizards shuttled among kangaroo rat burrows, shrubs, and open habitat to maintain body temperatures below their upper thermal tolerance, but, occasionally, higher than their preferred body temperature range. Lizards are restricted from staying in the open habitat for 75% of daylight hours and are forced to seek refuge under shrubs or burrows to avoid surpassing their upper thermal threshold. After applying climatic projections of 1 and 2°C increases to 2018 ambient temperatures, G. sila will lose additional hours of activity time that could compound stressors faced by this population, potentially leading to extirpation.

Positive interactions between shrubs and animals are frequent in desert ecosystems. Shrub canopies can provide refuge to some animal species from predators and shelter from stressful environmental conditions by ameliorating high temperatures through lowering the amplitude of variation. Consequently, there have been many contrasts of shrub versus open effects; however, we extend this approach further by testing these effects on a gradient of shrub densities in the Carrizo National Monument, California. We tested the hypothesis that shrub density is a landscape‐level predictor of vertebrate community composition and structure. We used camera traps, transects and focal observations to estimate animal density and composition, alongside the deployment of temperature sensors. Plots were established within shrub patches ranging from 0 to 12 shrubs per 10 m radius. Plots with relatively higher shrub densities had increased abundance and richness of vertebrate animal species. Temperature and residual dry matter were also important mediators of animal density and richness. Shrub cover was also an important driver of animal communities but we propose that shrub density is a more rapid proxy for vegetation effects in deserts relevant to wildlife conservationists, and managers.

Globally, no species is exempt from the constraints associated with limited available habitat or resources, and endangered species in particular warrant critical examination. In most cases, these species are restricted to limited locations, and the relative likelihood of resource use within the space they can access is important. Using Gambelia sila, one of the first vertebrate species listed as endangered, we used resource selection function analysis of telemetry and remotely sensed data to identity key drivers of selected versus available locations for this species in Carrizo Plain National Monument, USA. We examined the probability of selection given different resource types. Increasing shrub cover, lower and relatively more flat sites, increasing normalized difference vegetation index, and solar radiation all significantly predicted likelihood of observed selection within the area sampled. Imagery data were also validated with fine-scale field data showing that large-scale contrasts of selection relative to available location patterns for animal species are a useful lens for potential habitat. Key environmental infrastructure such as foundation plant species including shrubs or local differences in the physical attributes were relevant to this endangered species.

Repopulation and protection of endangered species are driving factors for many restoration and conservation practices globally. For successful habitat protection and restoration, we must understand (1) species distribution within suitable habitat and (2) how that habitat is utilized-daily and seasonally (Elith et al., 2006;Eyre et al., 2022;Guisan & Thuiller, 2005). The relationship between animal species and their interactions with plants provides key insights into how managing plant communities can better support animal species Zwolak et al., 2022). In arid/semi-arid deserts and scrublands, animal species experience greater stress due to extremes in temperature and precipitation (Barrows, 2011;

Anthropogenic factors such as climate change, land use, urbanization, alongside the spread of invasive species are some of the challenges impacting the arid and semi-arid regions globally. The canopy of many native plants including shrubs and trees not only provides refuge from predators for some animals but also offers a shelter from climatic stressors for other plants. The canopy of native vegetation can thus be a microhabitat critical to the persistence of many species locally, and it is vital to better understand its importance for the conservation and recovery of species in these landscapes. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that triangular and rectangular artificial canopies function similarly to the canopy of resident native shrubs when ameliorating the understory micro-climate. Three light permeabilities including 15%, 50%, and 90% were tested by measuring soil and air temperature with light relative to paired open gap (non-canopied) microsites and shrubs. Shelters offered more stable temperatures and reduction in light compared to the open gap and were not significantly different from established native shrubs. This suggests that this simple, affordable intervention can provide a stopgap solution that approximates natural heterogeneity in climate at fine scales and offers a refuge whilst managers and stakeholders restore native vegetation such as slow-growing and difficult to establish shrubs within this ecosystem.