Mary Ratnaswamy

Director, DOI Northeast Climate Science Center

Short Biography

Mary J. Ratnaswamy is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota.  She completed her B.A. in Biology at Carleton College in Northfield, MN.  She subsequently obtained a M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources (Wildlife Ecology and Management) from University of Georgia.  She is currently a Research Manager at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center where she directs three programs including Migratory Birds, Coastal and Wetlands, and Ecosystems.

DISSERTATION and THESIS:

Ratnaswamy, M. J.  1995.  Raccoon depredation of sea turtle nests at Canaveral National Seashore, Florida: implications for species management and conservation.  Dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Ratnaswamy, M.  1982.  A photogrammetric study of growth in the fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus 1758).  M.S. Thesis, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS:

Hilderbrand, R. H., R. H. Gardner, M. J. Ratnaswamy, and C. E. Keller.  2007.  Evaluating population persistence of Delmarva fox squirrels and potential impacts of climate change.  Biological Conservation 137:70-77.

Nelson, R., C. Keller, and M. Ratnaswamy.  2005.  Locating and estimating the extent of Delmarva fox squirrel habitat using an airborne LiDAR profiler.  Remote Sensing of Environment 96: 292-301.

Chalfoun, A. D., F. R. Thompson, and M. J. Ratnaswamy.  2002.  Nest predators and fragmentation: a review and meta-analysis.  Conservation Biology 16(2):306-318.

Chalfoun, A. D., M. J. Ratnaswamy, and F. R. Thompson.  2002.  Songbird nest predators in forest-pasture edge and forest interior in a fragmented landscape.  Ecological Applications 12(3):858-867.

Ratnaswamy, M. J., C. E. Keller, and G. D. Therres.  2001.  Private lands and endangered species: lessons from the Delmarva fox squirrel in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  Transactions of the 66^th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference: 61-73.

Williams, A. K., M. J. Ratnaswamy, and R. B. Renken.  2001.  Impacts of a flood on small mammal populations of lower Missouri River floodplain forests.  American Midland Naturalist 146:217-221.

Baltz, M. E. and M. J. Ratnaswamy.  2000.  Mascot conservation programs: using college animal mascots to support species conservation efforts.  Wildlife Society Bulletin 28(1):159-163.

Kramer, M. T., R. J. Warren, M. J. Ratnaswamy, and B. T. Bond.  1999.  Determining sexual maturity of raccoons by external versus internal aging criteria.  Wildlife Society Bulletin 27(1):231-234.

Ratnaswamy, M. J., A. K. Williams and R. B. Renken.  1999.  Mammals (Chapter 7), in D. D. Humburg and V. J. Burke (eds).  Initial biotic survey of Lisbon Bottom, USFWS Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, U.S.G.S. Biological Science Report USGS/BRD/BSR-2000-0001 (78pp).

Ratnaswamy, M. J., M. H. Smith, R. J. Warren, C. L. Rogers, and K. A. K. Stromayer.  1999. Genetic effects of a population bottleneck on a restored deer herd in a national military park.  Natural Areas Journal 19(1):41-46.

Ratnaswamy, M. J. and R. J. Warren.  1998.  Removing raccoons to protect sea turtle nests: are there implications for ecosystem management?  Wildlife Society Bulletin 26(4):846-850.

Ratnaswamy, M. J. , R. J. Warren, M. T. Kramer, and M. K. Adam.  1997.  Comparisons of lethal and nonlethal techniques to reduce raccoon depredation of sea turtle nests.   Journal of Wildlife Management 61(2):368-376.

Ratnaswamy, M. J. and H. E. Winn.  1993.  Photogrammetric estimates of allometry and calf production in fin whales, (Balaenoptera physalus).  Journal of Mammalogy 74(2):323-330.

Ratnaswamy, M. J., C. L. Rogers, R. J. Warren, M. H. Smith and K. A. K. Stromayer.  1993.  Electrophoretic comparison of road-killed deer and live-captured deer sampled by muscle biopsy.  Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 47:211-221.

Hain, J. H. W., M. Ratnaswamy, R. D. Kenney, and H. E. Winn.  1992.  The fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, in waters of the northeastern United States continental shelf.  Reports of the International Whaling Commission 42:653-669.

Ratnaswamy, M. J., D. Wilson, and R. L. Molinari.  1985.  Current velocity and hydrographic observations in the Straits of Florida: Subtropical Atlantic Climate Study (STACS) 1983 and 1984.  NOAA Data Report ERL AOML-5, 242 pp.

Scott, G. P., M. Ratnaswamy, and H. E. Winn.  1981.  Photogrammetric investigation of cetacean morphometry.  In: A characterization of marine mammals and turtles in the mid- and north-Atlantic areas of the U.S. outer continental shelf, Annual Report for 1979, Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program (CETAP), University of Rhode Island, to Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C. (No. AA551-CT8-48).

Ratnaswamy, M.  1979.  Right whale morphometrics.  In: Quarterly Summary Report Nos. 2 and 3, Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program (CETAP), University of Rhode Island, to Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C. (No. AA551-CT8-48).

My Science Topics

My USGS Science Strategy Areas