Animal body size distribution influences the ratios of nutrients supplied to plants

Significance Herbivores influence nutrient cycling by depositing feces across the landscape. Where herbivores go in the landscape is governed by factors such as food requirements and vulnerability to predation, traits that are related to body size. We show that mammals that differ in body size not only use the landscape differently but also differ in the amount of nitrogen relative to phosphorus that they release through their feces. This ensures that plants that grow in areas used by predominantly larger herbivores (such as areas of higher predation risk or areas of greater food availability) will receive lower amounts of fecal phosphorus relative to fecal nitrogen, potentially impacting plant nutrient availability. This finding is noteworthy considering the extinction bias toward larger animals.