Dr. Benjamin Kupilas

Research Group Applied Landscape Ecology and Ecological Planning
Institute of Landscape Ecology
Heisenbergstraße 2, 48149 Münster

Room 204
Phone +49(0)251-83 30 134
Fax +49(0)251-83 38 338
E-Mail benjamin.kupilas [at] uni-muenster.de

Consultation hours: on appointment

Dr. Benjamin Kupilas is affiliated to the Chair of “Applied Landscape Ecology and Ecological Planning” at the Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster since 2018. He teaches in the fields of Applied Landscape Ecology & Environmental Planning (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) and Water Sciences (M.Sc.).

Tasks at the WWU/ department/institute

Researcher, lecturer

LimnoLab

Curriculum vitae

Since 2020, Benjamin has a part time position at ILÖK because he also worked as a research scientist at the Norwegian Insitute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway's leading research institute in the fields of water and the environment. He coordinated the SABICAS project on NBS in Norwegian river catchments funded by the research council of Norway. He also worked at the science-policy-interface, specifically at the European level. For example, in the European Topic Center Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) where he was co-leading a task to explore the potential of upscaling nature-based solutions in the EU. He was also a member of the EU COST action management committee “Knowledge conversion for enhancing management of European riparian ecosystems and services” (2021-2022) and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Biodiversa project CROSSLINK to improve the understanding of cross-habitat linkages between blue and green infrastructures to optimize the management of biodiversity in both rural and urban landscapes. Some of his recent projects and publications focus on the effects of NBS on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in both cities and agricultural landscapes

Since October 2023, Benjamin is a Fellow in the fields of biodiversity and nature-based solutions (NBS) at Ecologic Institute.

Benjamin holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology and River Restoration from the University of Duisburg-Essen and a Diploma degree in Landscape Ecology from the University of Münster. His PhD was linked to the REFORM project. He has received fellowships and scholarships from The German Federal Environmental Founddation (DBU) and the Greman Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), amonst others.

Higher education

2012 - 2017	Doctor’s degree in natural science (Dr. rer. nat.), University of Duisburg-Essen. Thesis: “Effects of river restoration on ecosystem metabolism and trophic relationships” supervised by Prof. Dr. Daniel Hering.
2005 - 2011	Diploma degree in environmental sciences, WWU Münster. Thesis: “Bedeutung der Maßnahmen nach WRRL für die Anpassung von Fließgewässern an den Klimawandel”

Professional positions

2018 -present	Researcher at the Institute of Landscape Ecology (ILÖK), WWU Münster, Germany
2017 - present	Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway
2012 - 2017	Research assistant at the Department of Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Teaching

winter semester 2023/24
- Studienprojekt „Nature-positive Design im Statdgebiet von Münster: Die Rolle der Kleingewässer“ s. here
Research interests

My research focuses on the effects of anthropogenic stressors on stream ecosystems, and the management and conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and service delivery in the face of global change. My research is conducted in both the field and lab (combining field experiments with manipulative experiments in mesocosms), and also exploits existing data.

Key areas of interest include:
- Working on functional metrics (in particular food webs) as a method to detect disturbances
- Stream-riparian linkages
- River restoration
- Aquatic bioassessment
Scientific projects
- Biodiversa project CROSSLINK: Understanding cross-habitat linkages between blue and green infrastructure to optimize management of biodiversity, ecosystem services and multiple human uses
- H2020 project AQUACOSM: EU network of mesocosms facilities for research on marine and freshwater ecosystems open for global collaboration
- Project REFORM (EU FP 7), restoring rivers for effective catchment management
Publications
- Forio M.A.E, Burdon F.J., De Troyer N., Lock K., Witing F., Baert L., De Saeyer N., Rîșnoveanu G., Popescu C., Kupilas B., Friberg N., Boets P., Johnson R.K., Volk M., McKie B.G., Goethals P.L.M. (2022): A Bayesian Belief Network learning tool integrates multi-scale effects of riparian buffers on stream invertebrates. Science of the total environment 810 (2022) 152146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152146
- Kupilas, B.; Burdon, F.J.; Thaulow, J.; Håll, J.; Mutinova, P.T.; Forio, M.A.E.; Witing, F.; Rîșnoveanu, G.; Goethals, P.; McKie, B.G.; Friberg, N. (2021): Forested Riparian Zones Provide Important Habitat for Fish in Urban Streams. Water 2021, 13, 877. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13060877
- Popescu, C., O.M. Pavelescu, V. Dinu, C. Cazacu, F.J. Burdon, M.A.E. Forio, M.A.E., B. Kupilas, B., N. Friberg, P. Goethals, B.G. McKie, G. Rîșnoveanu (2021): Riparian Vegetation Structure Influences Terrestrial Invertebrate Communities in an Agricultural Landscape. Water 2021, 13, 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13020188
- Forio, M.A.E., N. De Troyer, K. Lock, F. Witing, L. Baert, N. De Saeyer, G. Rîșnoveanu, C. Popescu, F.J. Burdon, B. Kupilas, N. Friberg, P. Boets, M. Volk, B.G. McKie, P. Goethals (2020): Small Patches of Riparian Woody Vegetation Enhance Biodiversity of Invertebrates. Water 2020, 12(11), 3070
- Ramberg, E., F.J. Burdon, J. Sargac, B. Kupilas, G. Risnoveanu, D.C.P. Lau, R.K. Johnson, B.G. McKie (2020): The Structure of Riparian Vegetation in Agricultural Landscapes Influences Spider Communities and Aquatic-Terrestrial Linkages. Water 2020, 12(10), 2855
- Mutinova, P.T., M.Kahlert, B. Kupilas, B.G. McKie, N. Friberg, F.J. Burdon (2020): Benthic Diatom Communities in Urban Streams and the Role of Riparian Buffers. Water 2020, 12(10), 2799
- Burdon, F.J., E. Ramberg, J. Sargac, M.A. Eurie Forio, N. de Saeyer, P.T. Mutinova, T. Fosholt Moe, M. Oprina Pavelescu, V. Dinu, C. Cazacu, F. Witing, B. Kupilas, U. Grandin, M. Volk, G. Rîsnoveanu, P. Goethals, N. Friberg, R.K. Johnson and B.G. McKie (2020): Assessing the Benefits of Forested Riparian Zones: A Qualitative Index of Riparian Integrity Is Positively Associated with Ecological Status in European Streams. Water 2020, 12, 1178.
- Kupilas, B., B.G. McKie, K. Januschke, N. Friberg, D. Hering (2020): Stable isotope analysis indicates positive effects of river restoration on aquatic-terrestrial linkages. Ecological Indicators Volume 113, June 2020.
- Benjamin Kupilas, Daniel Hering, Armin W Lorenz, Christoph Knuth, Björn Gücker (2017): Hydromorphological restoration stimulates river ecosystem metabolism. Biogeosciences 14 (7)
- Benjamin Kupilas (2017): Effects of river restoration on ecosystem metabolism and trophic relationships. Duisburg, Essen, Universität Duisburg-Essen
- Benjamin Kupilas, Nikolai Friberg, Brendan G McKie, Maik A Jochmann, Armin W Lorenz, Daniel Hering (2016): River restoration and the trophic structure of benthic invertebrate communities across 16 European restoration projects. Hydrobiologia 769 (1), 105-120
- Daniel Hering, Jukka Aroviita, Annette Baattrup‐Pedersen, Karel Brabec, Tom Buijse, Frauke Ecke, Nikolai Friberg, Marek Gielczewski, Kathrin Januschke, Jan Köhler, Benjamin Kupilas, Armin W Lorenz, Susanne Muhar, Amael Paillex, Michaela Poppe, Torsten Schmidt, Stefan Schmutz, Jan Vermaat, Piet FM Verdonschot, Ralf Verdonschot, Christian Wolter, Jochem Kail (2015): Contrasting the roles of section length and instream habitat enhancement for river restoration success: a field study of 20 European restoration projects. Journal of Applied Ecology 52 (6), 1518-1527
- Jochem Kail, Daniel Hering, Jukka Aroviita, Annette Baattrup-Pedersen, Karel Brabec, Frauke Ecke, Marek Gielczewski, Kathrin Januschke, Armin W Lorenz, Amael Paillex, Michala Poppe, Jaana Rääpysjärvi, Piet FM Verdonschot, Tom Buijse, Jan Köhler, Benjamin Kupilas, Torsten Schmidt, Stefan Schmutz, Jan Vermaat, Ralf Verdonschot, Christian Wolter, Mateus Stelmaszczyk, P Jurajda, Simon Kaufmann, Sabine Scheunig, Seppo Hellsten, Emma Göthe, Allan Timmermann, Nikolai Friberg (2015): Effects of large-and small-scale river restoration on hydromorphology and ecology: Deliverable 4.3 Results of the hydromorphological and ecological survey. EU, reformrivers
- Veronica Dahm, Sebastian Döbbelt-Grüne, Peter Haase, Christian Hartmann, H Kappes, U Koenzen, B Kupilas, M Leps, Ch Reuvers, P Rolauffs, A Sundermann, F Wagner, U Zellmer, C Zins, D Hering (2014): Strategien zur Optimierung von Fließgewässer-Renaturierungsmaßnahmen und ihrer Erfolgskontrolle. Schriftenreihe des Umweltbundesamtes, Reihe Texte 43
- V Dahm, B Kupilas, P Rolauffs, D Hering, P Haase, H Kappes, M Leps, A Sundermann, S Döbbelt-Grüne, C Hartmann, U Koenzen, C Reuvers, U Zellmer, C Zins, F Wagner (2014): Hydromorphologische Steckbriefe der deutschen Fließgewässertypen
Conference proceedings
- Walter, P., B. Kupilas (2020): Litterbags - ein funktionaler Indikator zur funktionalen Fließgewässerbewertung im Test an der Münsterschen Aa. In: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie e.V. (Hrsg.): Ergebnisse der Jahrestagung 2019 der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL), Münster 23.-27.09.2019: 77-80 Weblink
- Rothe, L., Winking, C., Kupilas, B. & Hering, D. (2016) Stadt, Land, Köttelbecke - Die Auswirkungen ökologischer Verbesserungen ehemaliger Abwasserkanäle des Emschersystems auf Nahrungsnetze. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL). Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2015 (Essen), Hardegsen 2016.
- Kupilas, B., Friberg, N., McKie, B.G., Jochmann, M.A., Lorenz, A.W. & Hering, D. (2015) Effects of river restoration on 13C and 15N isotope composition in river and floodplain food webs - an approach on 20 European restoration projects. In: Angelopoulos, N., T. Buijse et al. [eds.] Proceedings of the International Conference on River and Stream Restoration “Novel Approaches to Assess and Rehabilitate Modified Rivers”. FP7 REFORM deliverable 7.5. p 252 - 257.
- Kupilas, B., Lorenz, A.W. & Hering, D. (2015) „You are what you eat“ - Indizieren die stabilen Isotope 13C & 15N Veränderungen im Nahrungsnetz als Folge von Renaturierungen? Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL). Erweiterte Zusammenfassungen der Jahrestagung 2014 (Magdeburg), Hardegsen 2015.
Scientific poster
- Walter, P., B. Kupilas (2019): Litterbags - ein funktionaler Indikator zur funktionalen Fließgewässerbewertung im Test an der Münsterschen Aa. ahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie in Münster, Deutschland. Weblink
- Rothe, L., Winking, C., Kupilas, B., Hering, D. (2015) Stadt, Land, Köttelbecke – Die Auswirkungen ökologischer Verbesserungen ehemaliger Abwasserkanäle des Emschersystems auf Nahrungsnetze. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie in Essen, Deutschland.
- Kupilas, B., Lorenz, A., Hering, D., Schulte, S. M., Jochmann, M. A, Schmidt, T.C. (2014) 13C and 15N isotopes as possible indicators of food-web changes related to river restoration. Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Stabile Isotopen e.V. in München, Deutschland.
- Poppe, M., Loach, A., Kaufmann, S., Muhar, S., Lorenz, A., Kupilas, B., Januschke, K., Schülting, L., Hering, D. (2013) Hydromorphological Analyses of Restoration Measures at Different Spatial Scales: Six Mountain Rivers Case Studies in Central Europe. European River Restoration Conference in Wien, Österreich.
- Kupilas, B. (2011) Die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf Gewässer. Veranstaltung zur Wissenschaftskommunikation der Westfälischen-Wilhelms Universität Münster in Ostbevern, Deutschland.

Dr. Benjamin Kupilas

Tasks at the WWU/ department/institute

Curriculum vitae

Teaching

Research interests

Scientific projects

Publications