Currently

Research cooperation for thick-shelled river mussel conservation

Conservation and cultivation of thick-shelled river mussels in Rhineland-Palatinate

Publications

• Koester, M., Frenzel, C., Becker, G. & Sahm, R. (2022) Food spectrum of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): insights from the Lower River Rhine comparing stable isotope mixing models and genetic gut content analyses. Aquatic Invasions, 17, 560-576

• Gergs, R., Gemmer, I., Koester, M., Rothhaupt, K.-O. & Behrmann-Godel, J. (2018) No evidence for a genetic impoverishment of the indigenous amphipod Gammarus roeselii (Gervais, 1835) due to the invasion of Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) in Lake Constance. Hydrobiologia, 829, 189-204

• Koester, M., Schneider, M., Hellmann, C., Becker, J., Winkelmann, C. & Gergs, R. (2018) Is the invasive amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus the main factor structuring the benthic community across different types of water bodies in the River Rhine system? Limnologica, 71, 44-50

• Koester, M. & Gergs, R. (2017) Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers. Journal of visualized experiments, 128, e56132.

• Koester, M., Bayer, B. & Gergs, R. (2015) Is Dikerogammarus villosus (Crustacea, Gammaridae) a ‘killer shrimp’ in the River Rhine system? Hydrobiologia, 768, 299-313

• Martin, P., M. Koester, L. Schynawa and R. Gergs (2015). First detection of prey DNA in Hygrobates fluviatilis (Hydrachnidia, Acari): a new approach for determining predator–prey relationships in water mites. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 67, 373-380.

• Gergs, R., Koester, M., Grabow, K., Schöll, F., Thielsch, A. & Martens, A. (2015) Theodoxus fluviatilis' re-establishment in the River Rhine: a native relict or a cryptic invader? Conservation Genetics, 16, 247-251.

• Gergs, R., Koester, M., Schulz, R.S. & Schulz, R. (2014) Potential alteration of cross-ecosystem resource subsidies by an invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate: implications for the terrestrial food web. Freshwater Biology, 59, 2645-2655.

• Koester, M. & Gergs, R. (2014) No evidence for intraguild predation of Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) at an invasion front in the Untere Lorze, Switzerland. Aquatic Invasions, 9, 489-497.

• Koester, M., Claßen, S. & Gergs, R. (2013) Establishment of group-specific PCR primers for the identification of freshwater macroinvertebrates. Conservation Genetics Resources, 5, 1091-1093.

International coference contributions

• Koester, M., Winkelmann, C., Kratina, P., Becker, J., Grey, J., Worischka, S. & Hellmann, C. (2018) The invasive aquatic Dikerogammarus villosus - a dangerous killer or an opportunistic omnivore? (Poster) 11th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies (IsoEcol2018), Viña del Mar, Chile

• Koester, M., Bayer, B. & Gergs, R. (2016). Is the aquatic Dikerogammarus villosus a 'killer shrimp' in the field? – A case study on one of the most invasive species in Europe (Vortrag) 19th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species (ICAIS), Winnipeg, MB Canada

• Koester, M., Gergs, R. & Becker, G. (2016). Food spectrum of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in the Lower Rhine: New insights comparing stable isotope mixing models with genetic gut content analyses (Poster) 10th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies (ISOECOL2016), Tokio, Japan

• Koester, M. & Gergs, R. (2014) Is the aquatic Dikerogammarus villosus a 'killer shrimp' in the field? - a case study on one of the most invasive species in Europe (Vortrag) 9th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies (ISOECOL2014), Perth, Australien

• Gergs, R., Koester, M., Schulz, R.S. & Schulz, R. (2013). Cross-system trophic effects: Does the invasive aquatic Dikerogammarus villosus affect terrestrial food webs? (Vortrag) BioHydrology 2013, Landau

Invited presentations

• Koester, M. (2016). Einfluss des invasiven Amphipoden Dikerogammarus villosus auf trophische Interaktionen im Freiland. Nachwuchspreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL2016). Wien, Östereich

Curriculum vitae

• since 01/2024: Research associate at the University of Kassel (50%), subject area aquatic ecology in landscape planning, coordinator of the project ‘Conservation and cultivation of thick-shelled river mussels in Rhineland-Palatinate’

• since 05/2022: Research associate at the University of Koblenz, Institute for Integrated Natural Sciences, project leader ‘Research cooperation for thick-shelled river mussel conservation’ and since 11/2023 ‘Conservation and cultivation of thick-shelled river mussels in Rhineland-Palatinate’ (50%)

• 01/2021 – 12/2023: Research associate in the INTASAQUA project at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) within the WG Molecular Zoology, Chair of Zoology (50%)

• 02/2020 – 04/2023: Project coordinator INTASAQUA (50 %) at the Institute of Integrated Natural Sciences (IfIN), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Koblenz (50 %)

• 11/2017 – 05/2019: Research associate at the Institute of Integrated Natural Sciences (IfIN), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Koblenz, Project 'Integrative species protection of aquatic species with special responsibility (INTASAQUA)'

• 01/2016 – 11/2017: Research associate at the Institute of Integrated Natural Sciences (IfIN), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Koblenz, Project 'Ecological impact of trace pollutants within effluent of waste water treatment plants on benthic macroinvertebrates'

• 02/2016 Completion of the PhD at the Institute for Environmental Sciences (IfU), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau; ‘Impact of the invasive amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus on trophic interactions under field conditions’

• 2015 Doctoral final scholarship holder at the Institute for Environmental Sciences (IfU), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, WG Ecotoxicology & Environment, Team Fish and Freshwater Ecology

• 2012 – 2014 Scientific researcher at the Institute for Environmental Sciences (IfU), University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, WG Ecotoxicology & Environment, Team Community Limnology, within the frame of a PhD project, DFG-Projekt ‘Trophic interactions between native and invasive amphipod species in aquatic systems’

• 2006 – 2011 Study course ‘Diploma Environmental Sciences’ at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Applied Ecology (major subject), diploma thesis: ‘Development of group-specific primers for genetic gut content analyses’

• 2003 – 2006 Study course ‘Diploma Biology’ at the Technical University Kaiserslautern