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Professor Christoph Matthaei

Dr-Christoph-Matthaei

Email christoph.matthaei@otago.ac.nz

Tel +64 3 479 7975

Research Interests

  1. Disturbance ecology in running water ecosystems (since 1992)
  2. Experimental design and statistical data analysis (since 1993)
  3. Effects of human land use activities on running water ecosystems, especially impacts agriculture and multiple stressors (since 2002), also water abstraction and other flow regime changes (environmental flow ecology; since 1990)
  4. River restoration (since 2000)
  5. Estuary ecology (since 2005; PhD Antje Bierschenk)
  6. Pond ecology and life history strategies of aquatic insects (since 2012; PhD Tanya Dann)
  7. Ecology of shallow lakeshores (since 2008)


Potential Postgraduate Projects

  • Projects are possible in all my research areas. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone for more information.


Current Post-Docs, Postgraduate Students and Short Project Titles

  • Dr Andreas Bruder (MPI-funded Post-Doc):  DCD – a new agricultural stressor for aquatic ecosystems?  
  • Romana Salis (PhD) DCD - a new agricultural stressor?
  • Katharina Lange (PhD) Modelling multiple-stressor effects on farmland streams
  • Javad Ramezani (PhD) Effects of intensive catchment land use on fish communities and their invertebrate prey
  • Antje Bierschenk (PhD) Impacts of human land use practices on riverine, estuarine and marine ecosystems
  • Tanya Dann (PhD) Life history strategies of New Zealand damselflies
  • Jon McCallum (MSc) The ecology of the invasive alga didymo
  • Yulia Kiseleva (BSc Hons) DCD effects on ecosystem processes

Other Links

Please see my Google Scholar Profile for a complete list (updated weekly) of my publications:

Stream Team research projects (Picasa webalbum)

Keywords

Aquatic ecology, disturbance, multiple stressors, restoration, human land uses, experimental design

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Publications

Effenberger, M., Diehl, S., Gerth, M., & Matthaei, C. D. (2011). Patchy bed disturbance and fish predation independently influence the distribution of stream invertebrates and algae. Journal of Animal Ecology, 80(3), 603-614. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01807.x

Magbanua, F. S., Townsend, C. R., Blackwell, G. L., Phillips, N., & Matthaei, C. D. (2010). Responses of stream macroinvertebrates and ecosystem function to conventional, integrated and organic farming. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(5), 1014-1025. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01859.x

Matthaei, C. D., Piggott, J. J., & Townsend, C. R. (2010). Multiple stressors in agricultural streams: Interactions among sediment addition, nutrient enrichment and water abstraction. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(3), 639-649. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01809.x

Lless, A., Lange, K., Schulz, F., Piggott, J. J., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2009). Light, nutrients and grazing interact to determine diatom species richness via changes to productivity, nutrient state and grazer activity. Journal of Ecology, 97(2), 326-336. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2008.01463.x

Lange, K., Liess, A., Piggott, J. J., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2011). Light, nutrients and grazing interact to determine stream diatom community composition and functional group structure. Freshwater Biology, 56(2), 264-278. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02492.x

Effenberger, M., Diehl, S., Gerth, M., & Matthaei, C. D. (2011). Patchy bed disturbance and fish predation independently influence the distribution of stream invertebrates and algae. Journal of Animal Ecology, 80(3), 603-614. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01807.x

Journal - Research Article

Magbanua, F. S., Townsend, C. R., Blackwell, G. L., Phillips, N., & Matthaei, C. D. (2010). Responses of stream macroinvertebrates and ecosystem function to conventional, integrated and organic farming. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(5), 1014-1025. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01859.x

Journal - Research Article

Matthaei, C. D., Piggott, J. J., & Townsend, C. R. (2010). Multiple stressors in agricultural streams: Interactions among sediment addition, nutrient enrichment and water abstraction. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(3), 639-649. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01809.x

Journal - Research Article

Lless, A., Lange, K., Schulz, F., Piggott, J. J., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2009). Light, nutrients and grazing interact to determine diatom species richness via changes to productivity, nutrient state and grazer activity. Journal of Ecology, 97(2), 326-336. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2008.01463.x

Journal - Research Article

Lange, K., Liess, A., Piggott, J. J., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2011). Light, nutrients and grazing interact to determine stream diatom community composition and functional group structure. Freshwater Biology, 56(2), 264-278. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02492.x

Journal - Research Article

Wagenhoff, A., Townsend, C. R., Phillips, N., & Matthaei, C. D. (2011). Subsidy-stress and multiple-stressor effects along gradients of deposited fine sediment and dissolved nutrients in a regional set of streams and rivers. Freshwater Biology, 56(9), 1916-1936. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02619.x

Journal - Research Article

Winkworth, C. L., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2010). Using native riparian barriers to reduce Giardia in agricultural runoff to freshwater ecosystems. Journal of Water & Health, 8(4), 631-645. doi: 10.2166/wh.2010.105

Journal - Research Article

Effenberger, M., Engel, J., Diehl, S., & Matthaei, C. D. (2008). Disturbance history influences the distribution of stream invertebrates by altering microhabitat parameters: A field experiment. Freshwater Biology, 53(5), 996-1011. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2008.01959.x

Journal - Research Article

Townsend, C. R., Uhlmann, S. S., & Matthaei, C. D. (2008). Individual and combined responses of stream ecosystems to multiple stressors. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45(6), 1810-1819. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01548.x

Journal - Research Article

Winkworth, C. L., Learmonth, J. J., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2008). Molecular characterization of Giardia isolates from calves and humans in a region in which dairy farming has recently intensified. Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 74(16), 5100-5105. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00232-08

Journal - Research Article

Young, R. G., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2008). Organic matter breakdown and ecosystem metabolism: Functional indicators for assessing river ecosystem health. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 27(3), 605-625. doi: 10.1899/07-121.1

Journal - Research Article

Winkworth, C. L., Matthaei, C. D., & Townsend, C. R. (2008). Recently planted vegetation strips reduce Giardia runoff reaching waterways. Journal of Environmental Quality, 37(6), 2256-2263. doi: 10.2134/jeq2008.0045

Journal - Research Article

Matthaei, C. D., Weller, F., Kelly, D. W., & Townsend, C. R. (2006). Impacts of fine sediment addition to tussock, pasture, dairy and deer farming streams in New Zealand. Freshwater Biology, 51, 2154-2172.

Journal - Research Article

Effenberger, M., Sailer, G., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2006). Local disturbance history and habitat parameters influence the microdistribution of stream invertebrates. Freshwater Biology, 51, 312-332.

Journal - Research Article

Shahpoury, P., Hageman, K. J., Matthaei, C. D., & Magbanua, F. S. (2013). Chlorinated pesticides in stream sediments from organic, integrated and conventional farms. Environmental Pollution, 181, 219-225. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.06.035

Journal - Research Article

Magbanua, F. S., Townsend, C. R., Hageman, K. J., & Matthaei, C. D. (2013). Individual and combined effects of fine sediment and the herbicide glyphosate on benthic macroinvertebrates and stream ecosystem function. Freshwater Biology, 58(8), 1729-1744. doi: 10.1111/fwb.12163

Journal - Research Article

Wagenhoff, A., Lange, K., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2013). Patterns of benthic algae and cyanobacteria along twin-stressor gradients of nutrients and fine sediment: A stream mesocosm experiment. Freshwater Biology, 58(9), 1849-1863. doi: 10.1111/fwb.12174

Journal - Research Article

Magbanua, F. S., Townsend, C. R., Hageman, K. J., Lange, K., Lear, G., Lewis, G. D., & Matthaei, C. D. (2013). Understanding the combined influence of fine sediment and glyphosate herbicide on stream periphyton communities. Water Research, 47(14), 5110-5120. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.05.046

Journal - Research Article

Herrmann, P. B., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2012). Individual and combined effects of fish predation and bed disturbance on stream benthic communities: A streamside channel experiment. Freshwater Biology, 57(12), 2487-2503. doi: 10.1111/fwb.12019

Journal - Research Article

Bierschenk, A. M., Savage, C., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2012). Intensity of land use in the catchment influences ecosystem functioning along a freshwater-marine continuum. Ecosystems, 15(4), 637-651. doi: 10.1007/s10021-012-9536-0

Journal - Research Article

Wagenhoff, A., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2012). Macroinvertebrate responses along broad stressor gradients of deposited fine sediment and dissolved nutrients: A stream mesocosm experiment. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49(4), 892-902. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02162.x

Journal - Research Article

Piggott, J. J., Lange, K., Townsend, C. R., & Matthaei, C. D. (2012). Multiple stressors in agricultural streams: A mesocosm study of interactions among raised water temperature, sediment addition and nutrient enrichment. PLoS ONE, 7(11), e49873. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049873

Journal - Research Article

More publications...