Dr. H. Wolfgang Riss

© IEB - Limnology

Office 100.02
Phone +49 251 83 23846
Fax +49 251 83 24668
Lab 090.22
Phone +49 251 83 21032

Professional Experience
Commitments
Interests
Projects
Publications
Teaching

 

 

Professional experience

  • Senior research scientist, lecturer 2012-present, University of Münster (WWU)
  • Scientific consultant and project manager, 2012-2015, Ecopetrol Ltda.
  • Research scientist, lecturer 1996-2012, University of Münster (WWU)
  • Research scientist, lecturer 1995-1996, Federal Technical University of Zürich (ETHZ)
  • Postdoc researcher 1992-94, Swiss Federal Institute for Science and Technology (EAWAG)
  • PhD, 1994, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Research associate 1989-1992, The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
  • Environmental auditor 1987-92
  • Diploma, 1990, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Education in biology and ecology, Technische Universität München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

 

Ongoing and past commitments

  • Postgraduate and undergraduate courses, lectures, seminars, and excursions (see below)
  • Quality assurance and technical support of scientific research
  • Supervisor and investigator of international research projects
  • Co-investigator at the Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP-Ecopetrol)
  • Guest professor at the National University of Colombia (UNAL)
  • Guest scientist and lecturer at the Southern University of Chile (UdeA)
  • Guest scientist at the Kazan State University, Russia
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Colombian Institute for Scientific and Technological Development (Colciencias)
  • Invited reviewer of scientific jounals (scope: general ecology, biological indication, experimental approaches, statistical analyses)

 

Study interests and focuses

  • Ecological and physiological traits under environmental stress
  • Theory and practice of bioindication systems
  • Statistical community analysis and modeling
  • Environmental risk analysis
  • Ecology of tropical water and transition ecosystems
  • Autecology, taxonomy, and ecotoxicology chironomids
  • Development of analysis software e.g.:
  • mx~3.2: Software package for analyses and documentation of ecological data (1989)
  • Hydrological and Climate Balance Model for the Pilot Area for Sustainability of Agroenergy (in coop. with M. Díaz-Granados, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia and C. Dulcey, ICP-TIP Ltda., 2014)
  • Web application: 'a-priori' probability compilation for Environmental Risk Analysis (in coop. with H. Ovalle, ICP-TIP Ltda., Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 2014)
  • Retention model for a tropical lowland stream (in coop. with H. Ovalle and C. Dulcey, ICP-TIP Ltda., Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia, 2014).
  • Development of technical solutions for field and laboratory experiments (hardware components and programmable logic controller (PLC) units) e.g.:
  • Controlled running water microcosms (1997)
  • Appliances for digital motion analysis in microcosm experiments (1997)
  • Ethographic and video recorder interface for behavioral studies (1998)
  • Robust oxygen probes for continuous small scale measurement in gravel streams (patent pending, 2004)
  • Conductivity meter with probe arrays for flow measurement of interstitial water (2005)
  • Hygrometer and mesoprobe for continuous air humidity measurement in ground interstices (2006)
  • Mobile record chamber for standardized analysis of activity patterns in benthic invertebrates (2015)

 

Present and past research projects

  • Effect of environmental stress and invasion processes on gammaridae (Amphipoda), instruction to BSc, MSc, and PhD projects, University of Münster.
  • Environmental risk and sustainability of produced water reuse in tropical lowlands, Scientific Project Manager, ICP-Ecopetrol, Colombia.
  • Biodiversidad, biogeografía y ecología organísmica de riós de tierras bajas de Colombia - Desarrollo del sistema de bioindicación dulceacuícola, Conivestigador, ICP-Ecopetrol.
  • Estudio de los efectos de perturbaciones antropogénicas (poblacionales e industriales) sobre la biodiversidad bentónica de aguas corrientes de Colombia. Coinvestigador, ICP-Ecopetrol, Colombia.
  • Paleoclimate and paleoecology of the northern lowland Neotropics, Phase I: Limnological survey of modern aquatic environments of the Peninsula Yucatán. DFG-Project.
  • Paleolimnological study on the lake 'Großes Heiliges Meer': Reconstruction of the genesis and development of the lake on the basis of subfossile chironomids.
  • Tipología de pequeños ríos en Cundinamarca y la validez de los modelos conceptuales sobre ecología de ríos (Coinvestigator, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá).
  • Modelamiento del metabolismo de una quebrada y sus interacciones con la fauna de macroinvertebrados bentónicos. (Tutoría de doctorado, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá).
  • Composición taxonómica y ecológica de los quironómidos de las lagunas Campanas y Puente Largo del páramo de Frontino, Antioquia. (Tutoría de Maestría, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin).
  • Comparative investigation of functional units of the rivers Jushut and Kazanka. Coinvestigator, Kazanskij Gosudarstvennyj Universitet, Russia.
  • Refereed presentations at professional conferences: 50+

 

Publications

  • SCHMIDT-DREWELLO, A., H.W. RISS, J.P. SCHARSACK & E.I. MEYER, E.I. 2015. Relative benefit of the invasive Echinogammarus berilloni over native gammarids under fish predation (Gasterosteus aculeatus), Aquatic Ecology, DOI 10.1007/s10452-015-9555-y.
  • BROCKS, S., H.W. RISS & E.I. MEYER 2015: Habitatkonkurrenz zwischen Echinogammarus berilloni, Gammarus fossarum und Gammarus pulex in einem Karstgewässer. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL), Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2014 (Magdeburg), Hardegsen 2015: 118-122.
  • WESSELING, W., S. WITTKA, S. KROLL, C. SOLTMANN, P. KEGLER, A. KUNZMANN, H.W. RISS & M. LOHMEYER. 2015. Functionalised ceramic spawning tiles with probiotic Pseudoalteromonas biofilms designed for clownfish aquaculture. Aquaculture 446: 57-66.
  • MOHN, R., N. VOSSWINKEL, H.W. RISS, & M. GÖKE. 2014. Habitat Restoration in an Urban Channel - Experiences from Monitoring of a Pilot Action. 2389 - 2396. In: Schleiss A.J. et al. (Eds.) River Flow 2014. CRC Press. London.
  • PŁOCIENNIK, M., P. GADAWSKI, D. TEMPELMAN & H.W. RISS. 2013. First records from Poland of Glyptotendipes ospeli Contreras-Lichtenberg & Kiknadze, 1999 and G. signatus (Kieffer, 1909) (Diptera, Chironomidae). Spixiana 36(1): 93-96.
  • LEÓN-MUÑOZ, J., C. ECHEVERRÍA, R. MARCÉ, H.W. RISS, B. SHERMAN & J.L. IRIARTE. 2013. The combined impact of land use change and aquaculture on sediment and water quality in oligotrophic Lake Rupanco (North Patagonia, Chile, 40.8°S) J. Environ. Managem 128: 283-291.
  • SCHMIDT-FORMANN, O., N. KASCHEK, H.W. RISS & E.I. MEYER. 2012. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Autökologie von Echinogammarus berilloni (Amphipoda). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL), Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2011 (Weihenstephan), Hardegsen 2012: 204-209.
  • BIEBERNICK, S., M. KOCH, H. HORN, J. BÄTHE, E. CORING, H.W. RISS & E.I. MEYER. 2012. Subletale Effekte von Salzstress bei Gammarus pulex (Linnaeus) und Dikerogammarus villosus (Sovinskij). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL), Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2011 (Weihenstephan), Hardegsen 2012: 256-260.
  • SHATILINA, Z.M., H.W. RISS, M.V. PROTOPOPOVA, M. TRIPPE, E.I. MEYER, V.V. PAVLICHENKO, D.S. BEDULINA, D.V. AXENOV-GRIBANOV & M.A. TIMOFEYEV. 2011. The role of the heat shock proteins (HSP70 and sHSP) in the thermotolerance of freshwater amphipods from contrasting habitats. J. Therm. Biol. 136: 142-149.
  • MÜLLER, F., N. KASCHEK, H.W. RISS & E.I. MEYER 2010. Bewertung der Biodiversität in den Quellen der Baumberge. In: GÖBEL, P. Quellen im Münsterland. Abh. Westf. Mus. Naturk. 72(3/4): 51-62.
  • KRÜTTGEN, B., N. KASCHEK, H.W. RISS & E.I. MEYER 2010. Ökologische Charakterisierung des Makrozoobenthos in den Quellen der Baumberge (Kreis Coesfeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen). In: GÖBEL, P. Quellen im Münsterland. Abh. Westf. Mus. Naturk. 72(3/4): 63-74.
  • TRIPPE, M., RISS, H.W., ZEIS, B. & MEYER, E.I. 2010. Gammariden im Stress - invasive und native Arten im Vergleich. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL), Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2009 (Oldenburg), Hardegsen 2010: 54-57.
  • VINOGRADOVA, E.M., H.W. RISS & M. SPIES. 2009. New species of Tanytarsus van der Wulp, 1874 (Diptera, Chironomidae) from Central America. Aquatic Insects 31(1): 11-17.
  • RISS, H.W., E.I. MEYER & O. NIEPAGENKEMPER. 2008. A novel and robust device for repeated small-scale oxygen measurement in riverine sediments - implications for advanced environmental surveys. Limnol. Ocean. Meth. 6: 200-207.
  • VINOGRADOVA, E.M. & H.W. RISS. 2007. Chironomids of the Yucatán Peninsula. Chironomus 20: 32-35.
  • GUTIÉRREZ, J.D., H.W. RISS & R. OSPINA. 2006. Bioindicación de la calidad del agua en la sabana de Bogotá - Colombia, mediante la utilización de la lógica difusa neuro-adaptativa como herramienta. Caldasia 28(1): 45-56.
  • GAVELAAR, M., E.I. MEYER & H.W. RISS. 2006. Echinogammarus berilloni in NRW. Untersuchungen zur Autökologie eines eingewanderten Amphipoden. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2006: 294-297.
  • SAUER, V., E.I. MEYER & H.W. RISS, 2006. Die Bedeutung der Sauerstoffversorgung für das Wachstum der Larven des Atlantischen Lachses (Salmon salar L.) während der Embryonalentwicklung. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2006: 322-326.
  • SPÄNHOFF, B., H.W. RISS, P. JÄKEL, N. DAKKAK, E.I. & MEYER. 2006. Effects of an experimental enrichment of instream habitat heterogeneity on the stream bed morphology and chironomid community of a straightened section in a sandy lowland stream. Envir. Managem. 37(2): 247-257.
  • FIEKER, J., H.W. RISS, B.W. SCHARF & E.I. MEYER. 2005. Zur Entwicklung der Chironomidenbiozönose im 'Großen Heiligen Meer' - Analyse von Sedimentkernen. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2004: 550-554.
  • NAZAROVA L.B., H.W. RISS, N.J. STEPANOVA, T.O. KONDRATJEVA & V.Z. LATYPOVA. 2005. A comparison of features and processes of environmentally degraded and anthropogenically undisturbed lowland rivers (Middle Volga, Russia - Muensterland, Germany). Environ. Radioecol. Appl. Ecol. 11(1): 15-20.
  • GUTIÉRREZ, J.D., H.W. RISS & R. OSPINA. 2004. Bioindicación de la calidad del agua con macroinvertebrados acuáticos en la Sabana de Bogotá, utilizando redes neuronales artificiales. Caldasia 26(1): 151-160.
  • GUTIÉRREZ, J.D., H.W. RISS & R. OSPINA. 2004. Lógica difusa como herramienta para la bioindicación de la calidad del agua con macroinvertebrados acuáticos en la Sabana de Bogotá - Colombia. Caldasia 26(1): 161-171.
  • FIEKER, J., H.W. RISS, L.B. NAZAROVA & E.I. MEYER. 2004. Die Chironomidenfauna des 'Großen Heiligen Meeres' - Anwendung von Ultraschall auf Sedimentproben. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2003: 182-185.
  • KISSNER, T., H.W. RISS, P. STIEF, E.I. MEYER. 2004. Bioturbations- und Bauverhalten von Chironomus plumosus (Diptera: Chironomidae) unter verschiedenen Sauerstoffbedingungen. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2003: 186-189.
  • NAZAROVA, L.B., H.W. RISS, A. KAHLHEBER & B. WERDING. 2004. Some observations of buccal deformities in chironomid larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) from the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia. Caldasia 26(1): 275-290.
  • RISS, H.W., L.B. NAZAROVA & R. OSPINA. 2003. Chironomids and their buccal deformities found in Magdalena river catchment (Colombia) and the delicacy of spatial scales in the tropics. Chironomus 15: 32-33.
  • RISS, H.W., R. OSPINA & J.D. GUTIÉRREZ 2002. Establecimiento de valores de bioindicación para macroinvertebrados acuáticos de la Sabana de Bogotá. Caldasia 24(1): 135-156.
  • NAZAROVA L.B., N.J. STEPANOVA, H.W. RISS, E.I. MEYER, L.A. FROLOVA, T.O. KONDRATJEVA, I.V. PALAGUSHKINA, R.R. MUHAMETOV, V.Z. LATYPOVA, R.I. SABIROV & I.J. EFIMOV. 2002: Comparative description of lowland rivers, situated under different level of antropogenic load. Proceedings of the V Republic conference "Actual ecological problems of the Republic of Tatarstan".
  • RISS, H.W., L.B. NAZAROVA, P. STEGGER, R. OSPINA & R. MENA. 2002. Deformaciones Bucales en las Larvas de Quironómidos (Diptera) - Contribución a la Bioindicación y Ecotoxicología de los Ríos Bogotá, Magdalena y la Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. In: Neolimnos 2002. ACL-Limnos/Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Imani. 182 pp.
  • RISS, H.W., R. OSPINA & J.D. GUTIÉRREZ. 2002. Una metodología para el calculo de valores primarios de bioindicación. Acta Biológica Colombiana 7(2): 29-35.
  • GUTIÉRREZ, J.D, H.W. RISS & R. OSPINA. 2002. Bioindicación de la calidad del agua con lógica difusa Sugeno y macroinvertebrados acuáticos en la sabana de Bogotá. Acta Biológica Colombiana 7(2): 37-51.
  • SCHULTE, U., B. SPÄNHOFF, H.W. RISS, N. KASCHEK & E.I. MEYER. 2002. Substrate preference of the larvae of Lype spp. (Trichoptera, Psychomyiidae) and Lasiocephala basalis (Trichoptera, Lepidostomatidae). Proc. 10th Int. Symp. Trichoptera - Nova Suppl. Ent., Keltern 15: 565-570.
  • STEGGER, P., H.W. RISS, E. BLÜBAUM-GRONAU & E.I. MEYER. 2002. Mentum- und Mandibeldeformationen bei Chironomus-Larven (Diptera: Chironomidae) als Testkriterium für Sedimentkontaktteste: Ein kritischer Beitrag. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) - Tagungsbericht 2001 (Kiel), Tutzing 2002: 819-824.
  • OSPINA, R., H.W. RISS & L.J. RUIZ. 2000. Guía para la identificación genérica de larvas de quironómidos (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae) de la sabana de Bogotá. In: AMAT, G., G. ANDRADE & F. FERNÁNDEZ (Eds.). Insectos de Colombia Vol. II. Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fiscas y Naturales, Colección Jorge Alvarez Lleras No. 13. Editora Guadalupe. Bogotá.
  • RISS, H.W. & R. OSPINA. 2000: Taxonomic and ecological inventory of Chironomidae (Diptera) from the andine highlands of Colombia - First results of a scientific development project. In: Hoffrichter, O. (ed.) Late 20th century research on Chironomidae. Shaker, Aachen. 615-620.
  • RUÍZ, L., R. OSPINA, H. GÓMEZ & H.W. RISS. 2000. Guia para la identificación genérica de larvas de quironómidos (Diptera: Chironomidae) de la Sabana de Bogotá. I. Subfamilias Tanypodinae, Podonominae, y Diamesinae. Caldasia 22(1): 34-61.
  • RUÍZ, L., R. OSPINA & H.W. RISS. 1999. Guia para la identificación genérica de larvas de quironómidos (Diptera: Chironomidae) de la Sabana de Bogotá. II. Subfamilia Chironominae. Caldasia 22(1): 15-34.
  • RISS, H.W. & R. OSPINA. 1998. Die Chironomiden (Diptera) des Páramo und der Savanne von Bogotá (Kolumbien) - Geschichte, Stand und Perspektiven eines wissenschaftlichen Entwicklungsprojektes. Bielefelder Ökologische Beiträge 12:137.

 

Teaching

  • Scientific and technical instruction to 40+ BSc., MSc., and PhD projects
  • Applied biostatistics using R - the practice of experimental design and inference (postgraduate course, 2009 - present)
  • Ecology and evolution of freshwater organisms (postgraduate course, 2009 - present)
  • Biodiversity of inland waters (postgraduate course, 2010 - present)
  • Ecology of aquatic systems (undergraduate course, 2011 - present)
  • Ecology of aquatic model systems (postgraduate course, launches in 2016)
  • Analysis of biological data (advanced study course, 1999 - 2008)
  • Field and mesocosm experiments in aquatic ecology (advanced study course, 2001 - 2008)
  • Taxonomy and identification of chironomids (Diptera) (advanced study course, 1996 - 2008)