Our Team
Melissa Schmitt, PI
All of my research revolves around large mammal ecology and management. I am fascinated by the decision-making process of large herbivorous mammals, particularly with respect to how herbivores balance their foraging requirements and predation risk. I am also interested in understanding how these tradeoffs span multiple spatial scales.
Although much of my work has been conducted in African savannas, I have extensive field experience working in terrestrial North American systems (redwood forest and dry chaparral) and marine systems, including California kelp forests and Pacific coral reefs. My time spent in these diverse systems has informed the way I approach wildlife ecology as a whole.
Beyond my work, I love spending time birding, cooking, and doing anything that gets me outdoors. Odds are good that you will find me holding a cup of tea at any given moment in the day.
Current and Past Graduate Students
Current Students
Lindokhule Gumede, MSc candidate
University of Mpumalanga (2022-present), co-advisor: Prof. Dan Parker and Prof. Keenan Stears
Thesis: “Seasonal drivers of insectivorous bat activity: exploring the relative importance of food abundance, vegetation structure, and water availability”
My Master’s project focuses on the drivers of insectivorous bat community structure in a southern African savanna. My study will use acoustic monitoring of bat communities near the Kruger National Park to better understand the impact of important ecological drivers on their community structure and composition. I am investigating the relative importance of vegetation structure, water availability, and insect abundance on bat activity and community assemblage.
Christoffel de Lange, MSc candidate
University of Pretoria (2021-present), co-advisor: Prof. Adrian Shrader
Thesis: “Spatial variation in vigilance behaviours and its effect on food intake rates”
Early predator detection is one of the key ways in which prey reduce their vulnerability to predation. Animals therefore frequently allocate time towards anti-predator vigilance. Being vigilant, however, comes at a cost because it disrupts the time spent searching for and handling food, thereby reducing food intake rates. To meet conflicting demands for food and safety, prey must assess the risk of predation and select vigilance strategies that balance them. The major goals of my thesis are to assess various vigilance strategies that are employed by wild herbivores in different habitats that vary in predation risk and food availability.
Lawson Frey, M.S. Student
University of North Dakota (2024-Present)
Co-supervised by Prof. Susan Ellis Felege
Thesis: “Identification and Development of Improved Monitoring for Wildlife Vehicle Crashes in North Dakota”
Growing up in North Dakota, I spent my free time hunting and spending time in nature, and I ultimately realized that I wanted a career in wildlife biology. My research interests include large game species management, spatial ecology of large mammals, ungulate population dynamics and migration strategies, and wildlife habitat management. My Master’s research focuses on wildlife vehicle collisions across the state of North Dakota. Wildlife vehicle collisions can directly affect wildlife populations through increased mortality. Additionally, these collisions can be harmful or fatal to the human involved, or at minimum serve as monetary inconveniences. Importantly, mitigation strategies require significant monitoring and information to implement. My research seeks to examine the effectiveness of North Dakota’s current wildlife vehicle collision reporting system and identify potential “hot spots” for wildlife vehicle collisions. This research also aims to identify factors that facilitate wildlife vehicle collisions, such as spatial ecology, human development, and species behavior.
Amalie Victoria Jørgensen, Ph.D. Student
University of North Dakota (2024-Present), NORAM Scholar (2024-2025 cohort)
Co-supervised by Prof. Keenan Stears
Thesis: “Resource assessment and spatial ecology of savanna plains game”
Between growing up in Norway and studying in the US, my research interests have been shaped by exposure to different ecosystems and they mostly revolve around animal behavior. More specifically, I am interested in understanding why wildlife use the landscape in the ways that they do, and exploring what factors may affect this. Additionally, I am especially interested in the way that different large mammals use odor to locate their food, particularly in variable landscapes. My ultimate career goals are to pursue a position in international wildlife research.
My Ph.D. project is focused on how savanna plains game species, specifically zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe, assess and locate vegetation across the landscape using olfactory cues. I am also interested in understanding how plains game species alter their spatial ecology in response to management actions such as block burns as well as in fenced conservation areas of differing sizes.
Past Students
Twané Bester, MSc (Cum Laude)
University of Pretoria (2020-2022), co-advisor: Prof. Adrian Shrader
Thesis: “Exploring the influence that monoterpenes have on the dietary choices of elephants”
My research interests address the factors that modulate plant-herbivore interactions. In particular, I focus on the utilization of plant secondary metabolites as chemical defenses against herbivory, the way in which odoriferous secondary metabolites shape the olfactory landscape of herbivores, and the influences that the volatile organic compounds, monoterpenes, have on the olfactory-driven dietary choices of megaherbivores.
For my thesis, I explored how African elephants (Loxodonta africana) use olfactory cues to make foraging decisions. One type of volatile plant secondary compounds that influence these decisions are monoterpenes. Little is known about how individual monoterpenes, or their mixtures, influence elephant dietary choice. I found that deterrence is influenced by monoterpene concentration and whether the monoterpenes are presented in mixtures. I also found that different individual monoterpenes have the potential to influence elephant dietary choice to varying degrees.
Carys Corry-Roberts, MSc (with Distinction)
Rhodes University (2021-2024), co-advisor: Prof. Dan Parker and Prof. Keenan Stears
Thesis: “Functional significance of mixed-species groups for zebra (Equus quagga) in savanna habitats”
My research interests are broad, but include spatial ecology of threatened and endangered species, behavior of large mammals and their response to anthropogenic pressures, the effects of habitat restoration on biodiversity, and mediating human-wildlife conflict.
For my MSc, I sought to understand the functional significance of mixed-species herding using zebra as a focal species. I aimed to disentangle the relative importance of various drivers on the occurrence of zebra in single- and mixed-species herds across the landscape. Additionally, I examined potential spatial benefits for zebra herding in mixed-species groups. Moreover, I aimed to examine potential differences in foraging behavior among zebra in single-species herds and with their common heterospecific herd mates; wildebeest and impala. I further sought to quantify vigilance behavior, intake rates, and potential competition among zebra foraging in these herd types across varying degrees of perceived predation risk present in the landscape.