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Dr. H.Wolfgang Riss

Dr. H.Wolfgang Riss
Name: H.Wolfgang Riss
Status: Senior research scientist
Email: rissno spam hereuni-muenster.de

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

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 tecnical instruction to 40+ BSc., MSc., and PhD projects
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  • 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)
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