Habitat configuration and persistence of an endangered subterranean rodent in the Brazilian Pampa

Abstract Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats to biodiversity conservation worldwide. The tuco-tuco-do-lami ( Ctenomys lami ) is an endangered subterranean rodent species endemic to the Pampa biome in southern Brazil. The species needs studies to understand how anthropic changes influence ecological patterns over time. Thus, in this study, we aimed to: i) evaluate how persistence is influenced by the hypotheses of habitat amount and configuration at multiple scales; and ii) analyze the extent of occurrence and area of habitat. By applying a multiscale landscape approach, we revealed that habitat configuration is a stronger predictor of persistence than habitat amount at finer spatial scales. Our results demonstrate a clear scale effect, with habitat configuration emerging as the best predictor at the 500 m spatial scale. These findings reinforce the importance of incorporating multiscale analyses in conservation planning, especially for subterranean and habitat specialist species. Furthermore, the species had a reduction in the extent of occurrence and habitat amount, representing a setback compared to recent years. Our study demonstrated how anthropic changes affect the ecological patterns of an endangered species.