Knowledge of scale-dependent factors that affect the distribution of ungulate herds, such as cattle, is essential for the development of more accurate predictive models of animal movement and the management of sustainable agriculture. Our objectives were to evaluate the seasonal and diurnal patterns of herd spread, explore grouping dynamics, and the influence of dominance ranks, seasonal changes in forage biomass, use of shade, water and supplemental feed areas on cattle distribution. Positional and activity information of eleven free-ranging Bonsmara, Bos taurus, cows were obtained at five minute intervals using Global Positioning System collars. We conducted a total of 12 trials each of three weeks from August 2007 to August 2009 in a 457ha shrub-dominated savanna in South Texas. Spread was obtained by calculating the average Euclidean distance of individuals to the center of the herd. The association software package, ASSOC1, was used to analyze spatio-temporal interactions. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, an indicator of available forage biomass, was calculated using satellite imagery. Number of GPS fixes was used as an indicator of animal use of shade patches and water and supplemental feeding areas. In this semi-arid environment, herd spread was greatest and subgroup division occurred during summer when forage biomass was high. Herd spread was the least and shade patches were used more during winter when forage biomass was low. Throughout the year spread was smallest and use of shade patches highest during the midday period compared to other periods of the day. Location of individuals in the center of the herd was not associated with their dominance ranking. There was no significant overall pattern of seasonal changes in cattle use of water and supplemental feeding areas. Seasonal forage availability and shade patches seem to have a greater influence on herd dispersion patterns and grouping dynamics than any effect of social dominance. Herd distribution is likely related to changes in forage biomass and temperature fluctuations which drive compensatory night-time feeding and thermoregulatory actions. Accurate ethological studies of herds depend on our ability to understand herd dynamics at multiple scales that affect and are relevant to animal's response to the landscape.

Ces dernières décennies, l'augmentation conjointe des populations de grands herbivores et des activités humaines de nature a donné lieu à de nouveaux enjeux de gestion du territoire conciliant objectifs de conservation et développement touristique. Afin de faire face à ce défi, les gestionnaires ont besoin de mieux comprendre les choix comportementaux qui sont à l’origine de la répartition spatiale des animaux et l’impact des activités humaines sur ces comportements. En prenant l'exemple du chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), l'objectif de cette thèse est de répondre à ce besoin de connaissances sur le comportement spatial des grands herbivores, en prenant en compte d'une part la sélection des ressources alimentaires en fonction de l'hétérogénéité spatiale et de la dynamique de leur environnement, et d'autre part la réponse comportementale à l'influence de différents types d'activités récréatives de plein air. Nous avons tout d’abord modélisé le paysage alimentaire du chamois et ses variations saisonnières en combinant des données sur la végétation et sur le régime alimentaire à des données de télédétection. Puis à partir de 10 années de suivi de près de 100 animaux par collier GPS dans la Réserve de Chasse et de Faune Sauvage du massif des Bauges, nous avons démontré que les chamois ajustent leurs critères de sélection spatiale au cours du temps en fonction de l’évolution temporelle des caractéristiques de leur fourrage (qualité et quantité), notamment en fonction de leur variabilité ou caractère limitant. Ceci nous a amené à réévaluer le cadre d’application de deux hypothèses classiques en écologie spatiale des herbivores, l’hypothèse de la maturation du fourrage (Forage Maturation Hypothesis) et l’existence d’une réponse fonctionnelle dans la sélection d’habitat. Une des originalités de cette thèse est d’avoir pris en compte le caractère grégaire de cette espèce et de montrer comment la structure socio-spatiale de la population entraîne des variations locales du processus de sélection d’habitat, avec des implications démographiques fortes pour les individus. Nos résultats remettent en cause l’idée que les animaux se redistribuent au sein des populations en fonction des ressources disponibles, ce qui découle probablement de l’importance des relations sociales et du cout et des risques associés à la dispersion. Dans un second temps, nous avons abordé la thématique du dérangement du chamois face à trois activités humaines saisonnières, dont l’étude de la distribution dans notre site d’étude, à l’aide de GPS distribués aux pratiquants, a permis d’établir le paysage du dérangement pour les animaux. Le ski de randonnée et la marche à pied impactent clairement les déplacements des animaux, induisant une dépense énergétique supplémentaire. En revanche pour la chasse, la complexité de la réponse des chamois ne permet pas à l'heure actuelle de différentier l’impact des chasseurs de simples randonneurs, qui sont également présent sur le site en période de chasse. Ce travail se conclut par des propositions de gestion durable des populations sauvages compatibles avec la pratique des activités de loisirs de plein air. / These last decades, large herbivores population and outdoor human activities increased tremendously leading to the emergence of new challenges for the management of wild species and recreational activities, which need to reconcile conservation goals and tourist development. In order to face these challenges, wildlife managers need to better understand behavioral choice of animal that lead to their spatial distribution and how these behaviors are influenced by human activities. Based on chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) as a study case, the aim of this PhD is to enhance our knowledge of spatial behavioral of large herbivores, on one hand by understanding individual selection for food resources according to resource spatial heterogeneity and their temporal dynamics, and on the other hand, by assessing the impact of human outdoor recreational activities on spatial behavior. We first modeled the foodscape of chamois and its seasonal variation by combining field data on vegetation and animal diet with remote sensing data. Then, based on a 10 years dataset of monitoring of >100 animals marked with GPS collars in the Game and Wildlife Reserve of the “massif des Bauges”, we demonstrated chamois adjusted their criteria for spatial selection through time according to the temporal evolution of their forage traits (quality and quantity), accounting notably whether these traits were variable or limiting. This led us to reevaluate the framework of two classical hypotheses in studies of herbivore spatial ecology, the “Forage Maturation Hypothesis” and the emergence of a functional response in habitat selection. One newness in our work is to have accounted for the gregariousness of this species, which allowed us to unveil that socio-spatial structure of the population induced local variation in the habitat selection process, with marked consequences on individual demographic performances. This challenges the idea that individuals should redistribute in space within a population according to available resources, probably because of the importance of social relationships and costs and risks associated with dispersal. Second, we investigated the response of chamois to disturbances resulting from 3 outdoor activities. We assessed the spatial use of recreationists by ditributing GPS-tracker from which we defined landscape of disturbance to animal. Ski touring and hiking both impacted animal movements, resulting in supplementary energetic expenditures. On the other hand, hunting induced complex spatial responses in chamois that need further investigation, as the response to hunters could not be differentiated from responses to hikers who continue to be on site even during the hunting period. We conclude this work with proposals for a better long-term management of wildlife compatible with the practice of outdoor recreational activities.

No description available.

Le sanglier (Sus scrofa) est une espèce chassée emblématique en Europe. Comme la plupart des ongulés de zones tempérés, l'espèce sanglier s'est étendue en Europe au cours des dernières décennies. Le nombre de sangliers tués chaque année en France est passé de 36429 en 1973 à 526709 en 2011. Cette situation unique du sanglier parmi les ongulés est pourtant très commune en Europe, et a conduit à une augmentation du montant des indemnisations des dégâts occasionnés par le sanglier. Les indemnisations sont alors passées de 2 à 18 millions d'euros entre 1973 et 2001. Contrôler les populations de sangliers est donc devenu un objectif majeur pour les gestionnaires. Évaluer les paramètres démographiques qui pilotent les dynamiques de populations est nécessaire afin d'améliorer notre connaissance du sanglier. Mais s'intéresser à l'évolution des traits d'histoire de vie du sanglier est également indispensable pour mieux comprendre cette espèce. Par conséquent, contrôler les populations de sangliers en intégrant des considérations évolutives est essentiel pour permettre une gestion durable de cette espèce. Le temps est donc venu de mieux comprendre cette espèce dans un contexte de démographie évolutive, grâce à un suivi à long-terme unique d'une population de sangliers fortement chassée dans la forêt de Châteauvillain-Arc-en-barrois, France. Tout d'abord, d'un point de vue démographique, nous proposons un outil de gestion afin de contrôler le taux de croissance des populations de sangliers. Ensuite, nous replaçons le sanglier au sein des mammifères en nous intéressant plus particulièrement à des comparaisons inter spécifiques de tactiques d'histoire de vie, grâce à de récents développements méthodologiques en dynamique de population. Nous trouvons alors que le sanglier présente une stratégie d'histoire de vie plus proche de celle de petits mammifères (comme l'écureuil) que de celle d'un ongulé de taille similaire. Puis, nous trouvons que, en réponse aux variations de disponibilité alimentaire, les femelles sangliers présentent différentes stratégies de reproduction afin de maximiser le nombre de petits viables / Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is an emblematic game species in Europe. As most ungulate populations in temperate areas, wild boar abundance and distribution has increased in most European countries over the last decades. The number of wild boar shot annually in France has increased from 36,429 in 1973 to 526,709 in 2011. This unique situation is common throughout Europe and has led to higher costs to agriculture because of damage to crops. Compensation for damage caused by wild boar in France rose from 2 to 18 million Euros between 1973 and 2001, a nearly tenfold increase. Controlling wild boar populations has thus become an important target for managers. Evaluating the vital rates that drive the population dynamics is necessary to improve our understanding of wild boar. But investigating the evolution of life history traits in wild boar is also required to improve our understanding of this species. As a consequence, controlling wild boar populations incorporating evolutionary considerations is essential to allow a sustainable management of this species. The time has thus come to better understand this species is an evolutionary demography context, taking advantage of a unique long-term monitoring of a heavily hunted wild boar population located in the Châteauvillain-Arc-en-barrois forest, France. First, from a demographic viewpoint, we provide a management tool to control population growth rate of wild boar population. Second, we put back the wild boar among mammals by focusing on inter-specific comparisons of life history tactics among mammals using recent developments in population dynamics. We found that wild boar exhibits a life history strategy close to small mammals such as squirrel rather than the life history strategy observed in similar-sized ungulates. Then, we found that, in response to changes in food availability, wild boar females are able to display different reproductive tactics to maximize the number of recruits at a given breeding event

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones within close proximity to one another can exhibit drastically different levels of browsing by ungulates. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine interclonal differences in plant chemistry between adjacent clones exhibiting different degrees of herbivory which may influence the browsing behavior and patterns of ungulates, and (2) determine if correlation exists in the levels of salicortin and tremulacin between current year's suckers and current year's growth on older trees. This second objective was meant to indicate a protocol for land managers for identifying clones meriting increased protection from herbivory after treatment and wildfire. In July of 2005, 6 pairs of clones were identified on the Dixie National Forest, Utah, and on Cedar Mountain, east of Cedar City, Utah. Pairs consisted of 2 clones within the same pasture and/or grazing allotment and within a minimal distance from one another; one clone displaying moderate to high levels of ungulate utilization of aspen suckers, and one exhibiting minimal to no ungulate utilization of aspen suckers. Soil samples were taken at each clone and leaf tissues were sampled to determine genet. Aspen suckers were sampled for nutrient content, combined phenolic glycoside concentration (salicortin and tremulacin), condensed tannins, and the presence of extra floral nectaries (EFNs), at intervals throughout the growing season (August 3-6, August 31-September 2, and October 12-14). Current year's growth from representative mature trees was sampled for phenolic glycoside concentration at these times as well. All tests demonstrated high levels of insignificance for both leaves and stems.Sucker nitrogen values may have been elevated during portions of the sampling year in clones displaying moderate to high levels of ungulate utilization, possibility indicating an ungulate preference for nitrogen, but due to missing values, this is far from conclusive. P-values for forest floor factors were also highly non-significant with the exception of forest floor C (0.04) in the regenerating clones. Two post-project hypotheses are postulated in an attempt to explain the differences of forest floor carbon in terms of factors that may be influencing ungulate herbivory.

For many species, population size data is difficult to obtain or even unavailable. Therefore, estimations or indirect abundance measures of populations are crucial for ungulate management. Hunting has an important role in wildlife management, and is a partnership between state, landowners, and hunting communities. In ungulate management harvest statistics, as well as ungulate-vehicle collisions (UVCs) and observations, are often used as proxies for population densities and provide detailed information on a spatial and temporal scale. A Bayesian approach was used to model hunters’ response to population densities of fallow deer (Dama dama), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). The results indicate that the variability in number of individuals observed and the non-linearity of both hunters’ harvest and UVCs response varies between roe deer, fallow deer, and wild boar. Both hunters’ harvest and UVC display a sub-linear response to population densities to all three species. Additionally, roe deer show a low variability in the number of individuals observed compared to the other two species. Predictions of population densities by using proxies like harvest statistics and UVC statistics need to be species-specific to be reliable, and by considering a potential sub-linearity and temporal trends for the species of interest more confident and realistic estimates can be developed.

No description available.

No description available.

Grandes mamíferos herbívoros exercem papel fundamental para a função e estrutura dos ecossistemas terrestres, através principalmente da herbivoria e da deposição de fezes e urina, que influenciam a germinação e crescimento de plantas, a composição e diversidade de comunidades vegetais, a ciclagem e translocação de nutrientes, o estoque de carbono e a freqüência de distúrbios como o fogo. Entretanto, em florestas tropicais, o papel de grandes mamíferos herbívoros foi pouco estudado até o momento. De acordo com a Teoria de Forrageio Ótimo, a seleção de recursos alimentares é resultado do balanço entre o ganho energético e o gasto com a procura, captura e ingestão do alimento. Na escala da paisagem, um dos processos que pode gerar manchas com diferentes qualidades nutricionais para herbívoros é a sucessão da vegetação. Estádios iniciais de sucessão, por serem dominados por espécies de plantas de baixa estatura e crescimento rápido, com folhas tenras, alto conteúdo de nitrogênio, poucos compostos secundários e mais palatáveis, deveriam ser preferidos por grandes mamíferos herbívoros. No entanto, para herbívoros podadores, que incluem frutos na dieta, a disponibilidade destes itens, que são mais nutritivos que a folhagem, deve também influenciar o forrageio. Neste trabalho investigamos como varia a intensidade de forrageio e a deposição de fezes por Tapirus terrestris entre estádios sucessionais, visando contribuir para o entendimento do papel do maior herbívoro terrestre sul-americano para a regeneração da floresta e a translocação de nutrientes. Investigamos se T. Terrestris forrageia mais intensamente em manchas de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão, se esta preferência é mais forte quando não há a oferta de um recurso alimentar muito nutritivo, os frutos de cambuci (Campomanesia phaea), e se deposita maior quantidade de fezes onde forrageia mais intensamente e assim não transloca nutrientes. Para tanto, em uma paisagem de 20.000 ha de Floresta Atlântica contínua, foram alocados 12 sítios de amostragem em manchas com diferentes proporções de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão. Em cada sítio, a amostragem foi realizada em quatro transecções perpendiculares de 160 m cada durante seis sessões entre março e agosto de 2011. A anta foi registrada através de armadilhas fotográficas e de rastros e fezes localizados e removidos no início e no final de cada sessão. Foram também quantificados a proporção das transecções ocupada por estádios iniciais de sucessão (estádios pioneiro, inicial e médio), o número de clareiras, e o número de pontos das transecções onde a densidade do sub-bosque, do estrato herbáceo e de árvores com DAP até 5 cm foi considerada alta ou muito alta. A frutificação do cambuci foi acompanhada ao longo do período de estudo, tendo sido registrada em metade das sessões de amostragem. Através da abordagem de seleção de modelos, comparamos um conjunto de modelos candidatos para três variáveis dependentes: (a) parâmetro abundância (λ, interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio ao longo das sessões de amostragem) em modelos de abundância (que assumem que não há variações temporais na abundância), considerando apenas modelos simples com cada uma das variáveis explanatórias associadas à proporção de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão; (b) número de setores com rastros (interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio dentro das sessões de amostragem) em modelos mistos (GLMMs), considerando estes mesmos modelos simples e mais um grupo de modelos compostos que incluem uma variável temporal relacionada à frutificação do cambuci; e (c) número total de fezes em modelos lineares (GLMs), considerando todos os modelos descritos anteriormente e um modelo com o número total de setores com rastros (interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio total). Nossos resultados indicam que, como esperado pela Teoria de Forrageio Ótimo, Tapirus terrestris seleciona manchas de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão, particularmente áreas com maior densidade de árvores pequenas e com maior número de clareiras, e especialmente quando não há oferta de frutos de cambuci. Embora o número total de fezes seja melhor explicado pelo número total de setores com rastros, a relação do número total de fezes com a proporção de estádios iniciais tende a ser negativa, sugerindo que possa haver alguma translocação de nutrientes dos estádios jovens para os tardios. Embora inferências sobre o efeito de T. terrestris sobre a comunidade de plantas dependam de estudos complementares em escalas menores, nossos resultados sugerem que: a herbivoria afeta estádios iniciais de sucessão, onde pode resultar no aumento da diversidade de plantas; antas podem ser agentes de translocação de nutrientes de estádios ricos (iniciais) para aqueles onde nutrientes tendem a ser limitantes (tardios), e a espécie é um potencial agente dispersor do cambuci, espécie ameaçada de extinção / Large herbivorous mammals play a crucial role to the function and structure of terrestrial ecosystems, mainly through herbivory and deposition of dung and urine, which influence plant germination and growth, composition and diversity of plant communities, nutrient cycling and translocation, carbon storage and the frequency of disturbances such as fire. So far, however, the role of large herbivorous mammals in tropical forests has been poorly studied. According to the Optimal Foraging Theory, selection of food resources results from the balance between energy intake and costs to search, capture and ingest the food. At the landscape scale, a process that can generate patches with different nutritional quality for herbivores is vegetation succession. Early successional stages should be preferred by large herbivorous mammals because they are dominated by plant with low height and fast growth, with leaves that are tender, present high nitrogen content and few secondary compounds, and are more palatable. However, for herbivore browsers, which include fruits in their diet, the availability of these items that are more nutritious than foliage should also affect foraging. Here, we investigate how foraging intensity and dung deposition by Tapirus terrestris vary among successional stages, aiming at contributing to the understanding of the role of the largest South American terrestrial herbivore to forest regeneration and nutrient translocation. We investigated if T. terrestris forages more intensively in earlier successional stages, if this preference is stronger when there is no availability of a highly nutritious food resource, the fruits of cambuci (Campomanesia phaea), and if it deposits larger amounts of dung where it forages more intensively, not translocating nutrients. In a 20,000 ha landscape of continuous Atlantic Forest, we allocated 12 sampling sites in patches with different proportion of vegetation in early successional stages. At each site, samplings were conducted in four 160 m long perpendicular transects during six sessions between March and August 2011. Tapir were registered by camera traps and tracks and dung located and cleared at the beginning and end of each session. We also quantified the proportion of transects occupied by early successional stages (pioneer, initial, and mid stage), the number of gaps, and the number of points in transects where the density of the understory , of herbaceous vegetation and of trees with DBH up to 5cm was considered high or very high. The fruiting of cambuci was registered throughout the study period, and was recorded in half of the sampling sessions. Using a model selection approach, we compared a set of candidate models for three dependent variables: (a) the parameter abundance (λ, interpreted as foraging intensity along sampling sessions) in abundance models (which assume no temporal variations in abundance), considering only simple models containing each of the explanatory variables associated with the proportion of earlier successional stages, (b) the number of transect sectors with tracks (interpreted as foraging intensity within sampling sessions) in mixed-effects models (GLMMs), considering these same simple models and a group of composite models that included a temporal variable related to cambuci frutification, and (c) the total number of dung piles in linear models (GLMs), considering all models described above and a model with the total number of transect sectors with tracks (interpreted as total foraging intensity). Our results indicate that, as expected by the Optimal Foraging Theory, Tapirus terrestris selects patches of vegetation in earlier successional stages, in particular areas with higher density of small trees and higher number of gaps, and especially when there is no availability of cambuci fruits. Although the total number of dung piles is better explained by the total number of transect sectors with tracks, the relationship between the number of dung piles and the proportion of earlier successional stages tends to be negative, suggesting that there may be translocation of nutrients from initial to later successional stages. Although conclusions on the effect of T. terrestris on plant communities depend on complementary studies at smaller scales, our results suggest that: herbivory affects early successional stages, where it can result in increased plant diversity; tapirs may act as agents of nutrient translocation from nutrient-rich stages (earlier) to those where nutrients tend to be limiting (later); and tapirs are a potential disperser of cambuci, an endangered plant species

Grandes mamíferos herbívoros exercem papel fundamental para a função e estrutura dos ecossistemas terrestres, através principalmente da herbivoria e da deposição de fezes e urina, que influenciam a germinação e crescimento de plantas, a composição e diversidade de comunidades vegetais, a ciclagem e translocação de nutrientes, o estoque de carbono e a freqüência de distúrbios como o fogo. Entretanto, em florestas tropicais, o papel de grandes mamíferos herbívoros foi pouco estudado até o momento. De acordo com a Teoria de Forrageio Ótimo, a seleção de recursos alimentares é resultado do balanço entre o ganho energético e o gasto com a procura, captura e ingestão do alimento. Na escala da paisagem, um dos processos que pode gerar manchas com diferentes qualidades nutricionais para herbívoros é a sucessão da vegetação. Estádios iniciais de sucessão, por serem dominados por espécies de plantas de baixa estatura e crescimento rápido, com folhas tenras, alto conteúdo de nitrogênio, poucos compostos secundários e mais palatáveis, deveriam ser preferidos por grandes mamíferos herbívoros. No entanto, para herbívoros podadores, que incluem frutos na dieta, a disponibilidade destes itens, que são mais nutritivos que a folhagem, deve também influenciar o forrageio. Neste trabalho investigamos como varia a intensidade de forrageio e a deposição de fezes por Tapirus terrestris entre estádios sucessionais, visando contribuir para o entendimento do papel do maior herbívoro terrestre sul-americano para a regeneração da floresta e a translocação de nutrientes. Investigamos se T. Terrestris forrageia mais intensamente em manchas de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão, se esta preferência é mais forte quando não há a oferta de um recurso alimentar muito nutritivo, os frutos de cambuci (Campomanesia phaea), e se deposita maior quantidade de fezes onde forrageia mais intensamente e assim não transloca nutrientes. Para tanto, em uma paisagem de 20.000 ha de Floresta Atlântica contínua, foram alocados 12 sítios de amostragem em manchas com diferentes proporções de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão. Em cada sítio, a amostragem foi realizada em quatro transecções perpendiculares de 160 m cada durante seis sessões entre março e agosto de 2011. A anta foi registrada através de armadilhas fotográficas e de rastros e fezes localizados e removidos no início e no final de cada sessão. Foram também quantificados a proporção das transecções ocupada por estádios iniciais de sucessão (estádios pioneiro, inicial e médio), o número de clareiras, e o número de pontos das transecções onde a densidade do sub-bosque, do estrato herbáceo e de árvores com DAP até 5 cm foi considerada alta ou muito alta. A frutificação do cambuci foi acompanhada ao longo do período de estudo, tendo sido registrada em metade das sessões de amostragem. Através da abordagem de seleção de modelos, comparamos um conjunto de modelos candidatos para três variáveis dependentes: (a) parâmetro abundância (λ, interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio ao longo das sessões de amostragem) em modelos de abundância (que assumem que não há variações temporais na abundância), considerando apenas modelos simples com cada uma das variáveis explanatórias associadas à proporção de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão; (b) número de setores com rastros (interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio dentro das sessões de amostragem) em modelos mistos (GLMMs), considerando estes mesmos modelos simples e mais um grupo de modelos compostos que incluem uma variável temporal relacionada à frutificação do cambuci; e (c) número total de fezes em modelos lineares (GLMs), considerando todos os modelos descritos anteriormente e um modelo com o número total de setores com rastros (interpretado como a intensidade de forrageio total). Nossos resultados indicam que, como esperado pela Teoria de Forrageio Ótimo, Tapirus terrestris seleciona manchas de vegetação em estádios mais iniciais de sucessão, particularmente áreas com maior densidade de árvores pequenas e com maior número de clareiras, e especialmente quando não há oferta de frutos de cambuci. Embora o número total de fezes seja melhor explicado pelo número total de setores com rastros, a relação do número total de fezes com a proporção de estádios iniciais tende a ser negativa, sugerindo que possa haver alguma translocação de nutrientes dos estádios jovens para os tardios. Embora inferências sobre o efeito de T. terrestris sobre a comunidade de plantas dependam de estudos complementares em escalas menores, nossos resultados sugerem que: a herbivoria afeta estádios iniciais de sucessão, onde pode resultar no aumento da diversidade de plantas; antas podem ser agentes de translocação de nutrientes de estádios ricos (iniciais) para aqueles onde nutrientes tendem a ser limitantes (tardios), e a espécie é um potencial agente dispersor do cambuci, espécie ameaçada de extinção / Large herbivorous mammals play a crucial role to the function and structure of terrestrial ecosystems, mainly through herbivory and deposition of dung and urine, which influence plant germination and growth, composition and diversity of plant communities, nutrient cycling and translocation, carbon storage and the frequency of disturbances such as fire. So far, however, the role of large herbivorous mammals in tropical forests has been poorly studied. According to the Optimal Foraging Theory, selection of food resources results from the balance between energy intake and costs to search, capture and ingest the food. At the landscape scale, a process that can generate patches with different nutritional quality for herbivores is vegetation succession. Early successional stages should be preferred by large herbivorous mammals because they are dominated by plant with low height and fast growth, with leaves that are tender, present high nitrogen content and few secondary compounds, and are more palatable. However, for herbivore browsers, which include fruits in their diet, the availability of these items that are more nutritious than foliage should also affect foraging. Here, we investigate how foraging intensity and dung deposition by Tapirus terrestris vary among successional stages, aiming at contributing to the understanding of the role of the largest South American terrestrial herbivore to forest regeneration and nutrient translocation. We investigated if T. terrestris forages more intensively in earlier successional stages, if this preference is stronger when there is no availability of a highly nutritious food resource, the fruits of cambuci (Campomanesia phaea), and if it deposits larger amounts of dung where it forages more intensively, not translocating nutrients. In a 20,000 ha landscape of continuous Atlantic Forest, we allocated 12 sampling sites in patches with different proportion of vegetation in early successional stages. At each site, samplings were conducted in four 160 m long perpendicular transects during six sessions between March and August 2011. Tapir were registered by camera traps and tracks and dung located and cleared at the beginning and end of each session. We also quantified the proportion of transects occupied by early successional stages (pioneer, initial, and mid stage), the number of gaps, and the number of points in transects where the density of the understory , of herbaceous vegetation and of trees with DBH up to 5cm was considered high or very high. The fruiting of cambuci was registered throughout the study period, and was recorded in half of the sampling sessions. Using a model selection approach, we compared a set of candidate models for three dependent variables: (a) the parameter abundance (λ, interpreted as foraging intensity along sampling sessions) in abundance models (which assume no temporal variations in abundance), considering only simple models containing each of the explanatory variables associated with the proportion of earlier successional stages, (b) the number of transect sectors with tracks (interpreted as foraging intensity within sampling sessions) in mixed-effects models (GLMMs), considering these same simple models and a group of composite models that included a temporal variable related to cambuci frutification, and (c) the total number of dung piles in linear models (GLMs), considering all models described above and a model with the total number of transect sectors with tracks (interpreted as total foraging intensity). Our results indicate that, as expected by the Optimal Foraging Theory, Tapirus terrestris selects patches of vegetation in earlier successional stages, in particular areas with higher density of small trees and higher number of gaps, and especially when there is no availability of cambuci fruits. Although the total number of dung piles is better explained by the total number of transect sectors with tracks, the relationship between the number of dung piles and the proportion of earlier successional stages tends to be negative, suggesting that there may be translocation of nutrients from initial to later successional stages. Although conclusions on the effect of T. terrestris on plant communities depend on complementary studies at smaller scales, our results suggest that: herbivory affects early successional stages, where it can result in increased plant diversity; tapirs may act as agents of nutrient translocation from nutrient-rich stages (earlier) to those where nutrients tend to be limiting (later); and tapirs are a potential disperser of cambuci, an endangered plant species