Team – CDL-MERI

Head of laboratory
Univ.Prof. Dr. Thomas Hein

Mag. Dr.
Elisabeth Bondar-Kunze

Mag. Dr. Andrea Funk

Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr.phil.
Gertrud Haidvogl

Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn.
Severin Hohensinner

Dr. Paul Meulenbroek MSc.

Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn.
Günther Unfer

Dr. Olena Bilous

Phd Students

Michael Grohmann, MSc.

To migrate or to stay?

This PhD-thesis aims to quantify the stocks and investigate migration patterns of the most common fish species in the fragmented meta-ecosystem of the Austrian Danube.

Jakob Neuburg, MSc.

Quantifying the unseen – an assessment of the bottom fish fauna in the Austrian Danube.

This PhD-thesis aims to assess the influence of habitat quality, lateral connectivity and seasonal effects on the distribution and composition of the bottom fauna in the fragmented meta-ecosystem of the Austrian Danube.

Johannes Luca Kowal, MSc

Impacts of connectivity changes on river meta-ecosystems

River regulation measures and hydropower development have caused a sever fragmentation of most river meta-ecosystems.

Within the scope of my PhD thesis, I am investigating how connectivity has changed in Austrian rivers, what are the resulting ecological consequences and what could be potential mitigation approaches.

Daniel Pelz, MSc

Who, when, where and how many? – Water level-dependent and seasonal habitat use of the near shore fish fauna in the Austrian Danube.

This PhD-thesis aims to assess water level-dependent and seasonal use of freshwater habitats and the composition of the near shore fish fauna in the fragmented meta-ecosystem of the Austrian Danube.

Anna-Lisa Dittrich, MSc

Who eats whom? – Food web analyses on shoreline areas of the Austrian Danube.

In this PhD-thesis
the distribution of brown and green food webs and the effects on
juvenile fish in shoreline habitats of the Austrian Danube is
investigated.

Nikolaus Töchterle, MSc

Recreational fishing in the meta-ecosystem Danube – A socio-ecological approach for sustainable future management

Whithin this PhD-thesis past and present fishery management strategies will be analyzed. Together with a comprehensive survey conducted among the angling community this will form the basis for waterbody and species specific management recommendations.

Master Students

Sarah Gross: Development of the lateral connectivity of the Austrian Danube from 1817 – 2022 and its impact on habitat availability for five selected fish species (Working title)

Jacob Becker: Evaluating the potential for cultural ecosystem services of the Danube in eastern Austria using the ResCulES method

Lukas Sölkner: Influence of isolation by distance and hydropower plants on genetic differentiation of migratory fish populations – Case study Chondrostoma nasus in the Danube catchment

Emily Perle: Riparian habitats along the Austrian Danube – What is really left?

Praise Ainomugisha: Calculation of ecosystem services with indicator-based approaches (IDES, RESI,…) and their adaptation for the Austrian Danube.

Anna Pold: Impact of ship-induced waves on the distribution and nutritional value of periphyton in the Austrian Danube.

Johannes Kührer: Impact of ship-induced waves on functional feeding groups of benthic invertebrates and the distribution of green and brown food webs in the Austrian Danube.

Moritz Benz: Analysing fish migration in the lower Traisen using UAV and PIT data.

Brigitta Bodar:

Sophie Remele:

Bachelor Students

Marie-Theresa Wieczorek: Flussmorphologische Entwicklung der Traisen im Projektgebiet LIFE+ Traisen zwischen 2016 und 2022. Flächige Analysen.

Julian Jöbstl: Flussmorphologische Entwicklung der Traisen im Projektgebiet LIFE+ Traisen zwischen 2016 und 2022. Wassertiefen und Fließgeschwindigkeiten.

Johannes Schützenhofer, Massimiliano Grisorio: The development of fragmentation as a result of flood control and hydropower in the Austrian Danube system.

Leonie Johanna Mayr: Analysis of fish tags at a cormorant roosting site in the Danube floodplains in Lower Austria.

Corinna Nittmann: Description of individual migration behaviour of Danube cyprinids in Lower Austria based on PIT data.

Technical and scientific assistance

Dipl.-Ing. Dr. nat. techn. Stefan Auer

Internships

Tobias Leister: Work package 3
Rebecca Tibbetts: Work package 3
Tom Warisse: Work package 3
Guilhem Ortega: Work package 3

Scientific co-operation partner BOKU

Andrea Watzinger & Harald Meimberg

Former team members

Dr. Damiano Baldan

Christian Doppler Research Association

The Christian Doppler Research Association promotes the cooperation between science and business. Specifically, this takes place in specially established research units with fixed terms, in which application-orientated basic research is pursued: Christian Doppler Laboratories at universities and non-university research institutions, Josef Ressel Centres at universities of applied sciences.

Under the direction of highly qualified scientists, research groups work in close contact with the commercial partners on innovative responses to business-related research issues.

Christian Doppler Laboratories

The CD model enables cooperations between science and business that are meaningful, useful and productive both for the participating partners and for society. The cooperations are generally structured in the following way: The research group elaborates fundamental knowledge that flows into the development of new products and processes at the commercial partner. A brisk exchange of knowledge, experience and questions between the partners prevails throughout the collaboration. This type of research cooperation therefore differs fundamentally from contract research.

CD Laboratories keep the companies up to date with new scientific developments through their integration into the scientific community. They therefore also perform a ‘radar function’ for the commercial partners. In order for this role to function optimally, the scientific freedom available in the CD Laboratories is of decisive importance: it enables the researchers to collaborate actively at the leading edge of research during the entire duration of the CD Laboratory.