PhD: 2015. Key factors driving the foraging ecology of oribi: fear, cattle, and the quality and quantity of food.

MSc: 2012. Scrounging herbivores use both patch quality and dominance status of patch holders when deciding which patch to use.

Publications

* Student-led research

[17] Schmitt MH, K Stears, MK Donovan, DE Burkepile, DI Thompson. 2022. Integrating herbivore assemblages and woody plant cover in an African savanna to reveal how herbivores respond to ecosystem management. PloS ONE 17(8): e0273917

[16] Patel T*, K Stears, IT Little, AM Shrader. 2021. Evaluating oribi translocations for conservation: the importance of translocation guidelines and herbivore stocking rates. African Journal of Wildlife Research 51: 144–148

[15] Patel T*, K Stears, IT Little, AM Shrader. 2021. Assessing the performance of oribi antelope populations at multiple scales: the limitations of citizen-led oribi conservation. African Journal of Wildlife Research 51: 127–135

[14] Stears K, MH Schmitt, WC Turner, DJ McCauley, EA Muse, H Kiwango, D Mathayo, BM Mutayoba. 2021. Hippopotamus movements structure the spatiotemporal dynamics of an active anthrax outbreak. Ecosphere 12(6): e03540

[13] Stears K, AM Shrader. 2020. Coexistence between wildlife and livestock is contingent on cattle density and season but not differences in body size. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0236895

[12] Burkepile DE, MH Schmitt, K Stears, MK Donovan, DI Thompson. 2020. Shared insights across the ecology of coral reefs and African savannas: are parrotfish wet wildebeest? BioScience 70: 647–658

[11] Stears K, MH Schmitt, CC Wilmers, AM Shrader. 2020. Mixed species herding levels the landscape of fear. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20192555

[10] Stears K, TA Nuñez, EA Muse, BM Mutayoba, DJ McCauley. 2019. Spatial ecology of male hippopotamus in a changing watershed. Scientific Reports 9: 15392

[9] Stears K, DJ McCauley, JC Finlay, J Mpemba, IT Warrington, BM Mutayoba, ME Power, TE Dawson, JS Brashares. 2018. Effects of the hippopotamus on the chemistry and ecology of a changing watershed. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA: E5028–E5037

[8] Stears K, DJ McCauley. 2018. Hippopotamus dung inputs accelerate fish predation by terrestrial consumers. African Journal of Ecology 56: 1034–1038

[7] Hardesty-Moore M, S Deinet, R Freeman, GC Titcomb, EM Dillon, K Stears, M Klope, A Bui, D Orr, HS Young, A Miller-ter-Kuile, LF Hughey, DJ McCauley. 2018. Migration in the Anthropocene: how collective navigation, environmental system and taxonomy shape the vulnerability of migratory species. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373: 20170017

[6] Kok RB*, K Stears, AM Shrader. 2017. Does the removal of finder’s share influence the scrounging decisions of herbivores? Animal Behaviour 108: 155–164.

[5] Stears K, AM Shrader, G Castley. 2016. A conservation assessment of Equus quagga. In: MF Child, L Roxburgh, E Do Linh San, D Raimondo, HT Davies-Mostert (eds), The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa

[4] Schmitt MH, K Stears, AM Shrader. 2016. Zebra reduce predation risk in mixed-species herds by eavesdropping on cues from giraffe. Behavioral Ecology 27: 1073–1077

[3] Stears K, AM Shrader. 2015. Increases in food availability can tempt oribi antelope into taking greater risks at both large and small spatial scales. Animal Behaviour 108: 155–164

[2] Stears K, GIH Kerley, AM Shrader. 2014. Group-living herbivores weigh up food availability and dominance status when making patch-joining decisions. PLoS ONE 9(10): e109011

[1] Schmitt MH, K Stears, CC Wilmers, AM Shrader. 2014. Determining the relative importance of dilution and detection for zebra foraging in mixed-species herds. Animal Behaviour 96: 151–158