Publications

 Rao, D., Cheng, K & Herberstein, ME. (in review) A natural history of web decorations in the St. Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi) Australian Journal of Zoology

F. J. Hoese, E. A. J. Law, Rao, D.  & M. E. Herberstein. Distinctive yellow bands on a sit-and-wait predator: prey attractant or predator deterrent? Behavior

Rao, D. and Poyyamoli, G. 2001. Role of structural requirements in website selection of Cyrtophora cicatrosa Stolicza (Araneae: Araneidae). Current Science 81:678-680

Ziv, M., Rao, D. and Lubin Y. (in prep). Life history and habitat preference of a colonial spider, Cyrtophora citricola (Araneae: Araneidae) in a hyper-arid region.

Rao, D. and Lubin, Y. (in prep.) Dispersion in a desert spider.

Conservation Biology

Barve, N., Kiran, M. C. Vanaraj, G., Aravind, N. A.,  Rao, D., Shaanker, R. U., Ganeshaiah, K. N., Poulsen, J. G.  and Bawa., K. S.  2005. Measuring and mapping threats to protected areas: developing a common protocol from a wildlife sanctuary in Western Ghats, India. Conservation Biology, Vol. 19, NO. 1, pp122-130

Aravind, N. A., Manjunath, J., Rao, D., Ganeshaiah, K. N., Shaanker, R. U. and Vanaraj, G. 2005. Are red-listed species threatened? A comparative analysis of red-listed and non-red-listed plant species in the Western Ghats, India. Current Science, 88(2):25

Shaanker, R. U., Ganeshaiah, K. N., Krishnan, S., Ramya, R., Meera, C., Aravind, N. A., Kumar, A., Rao, D., Vanraj,  G., Ramachandra , J., Gauthier, R., Ghazoul, J., Poole, N., Reddy, B.V. C. 2004. Livelihood gains and ecological costs of NTFP dependence: assessing the roles of dependence, ecological knowledge and market structure in three contrasting human and ecological settings in South India. Environmental Conservation 31 (3): 242–253

Aravind, N. A., Rao, D. and  Madhusudan, P.S.  2001. Additions to the birds of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India. Zoos' Print, Vol. 27 (7): 541-547.

Aravind N. A., Rao, D., Vanaraj, G., Poulsen, J. G., Shaanker, R. U., Ganeshaiah, K. N. 2001. Anthropogenic pressures in a tropical forest ecosystem in Western Ghats, India: Are they sustainable? Eds. K. N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker and K. S. Bawa In: Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Function. Pp. 125-128.

Book Chapter 

Aravind, N. A and Rao, D. 2001. Biodiversity: An introduction. Pages 1-25, in B.B. Hosetti, and M. Venkateshwaralu (editors), Current Trends In Wildlife Conservation And Management. Daya Book House, New Delhi, India

Previous Projects 

• 2003 Visitor to the http://ces.iisc.ernet.in" href="http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/">Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India: working on a project concerning kin recognition and dispersal in a social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum (in association with Dr. Yael Lubin, Ben Gurion University, Israel)

• 1999-2000 http://www.atree.org" href="http://www.atree.org/">Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore.

  Research Associate for the following projects:

  * Assessment of biodiversity of lesser-known and functionally important groups in Nagarahole National park. Funded by World Bank through Karnataka Forest Department.

  * Mapping of rare endangered and threatened medicinal plant resources in medicinal plant conservation areas (MPCA), Karnataka. Funded by http://www.frlht.org.in" href="http://www.frlht.org.in/">Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions Bangalore.

  * ‘Assessing the impact of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity of a tropical forest ecosystem in India. Funded by Center for International Forestry Research (http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/" href="http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/">CIFOR), Indonesia.

  * Impact of invasive species on the diversity, health and productivity of ecosystems: A study in the tropical forests of South India. Funded by http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/" href="http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/">Center for International Forestry Research, Indonesia.

  * Mapping of birds and butterfly diversity of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary

• 1999 http://www.greenconserve.com/index.htm" href="http://www.greenconserve.com/index.htm">GREEN Foundation, Bangalore.

  * Writer and coordinator for the production of a CD ROM entitled “Cultivating Seed Links - An interactive CDROM on bio-diversity and its conservation

• 1999 http://ces.iisc.ernet.in" href="http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/">Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

  * Research Assistant for a project involving the use of plantations for carbon sequestration

 Education

•  2004- Ph.D.

  Macquarie University

  Thesis Title: Predator-prey interactions in an orb web spider

  Supervisors: Drs Ken Cheng and Mariella Herberstein

   

• 2001-2003 M.Sc.

  Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies. Sede Boqer, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

  Thesis title: Dispersion and dispersal in a desert spider: Cyrtophora citricola

  Supervisor: Prof Yael Lubin

   

• 1996-1998 M.S.

  Salim Ali School of Ecology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry

  Thesis title: Web site selection in the tropical tent spider: Cyrtophora cicatrosa

  Supervisor: Dr. G. Poyyamoli

   

• 1993-1996 B.Sc.

  St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore University.

  Thesis title: Sanctuary management and conservation in a bird reserve.

  Supervisor: Dr. Keith Simento

   

• 1998 Graduate from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), U.S.A