Short CV
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BSc in Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Brighton, United Kingdom (1997-2001)
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MSc in Environmental Pollution Sciences, Environmental Research Centre, Brunel University, United Kingdom (2001-2002)
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PhD in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Pollution, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, University of Ioannina, Greece (2007-2011)
Dr. Ioannis Karaouzas is a Freshwater Biologist and Environmental scientist. His research interests mainly focus on the ecology, biodiversity and conservation of freshwater ecosystems. He is working on the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and climate change on benthic invertebrates, at species, population and community level, as well as, on the ecological status of river ecosystems. He is also specialized on the ecology and taxonomy of aquatic invertebrates with main specialization on caddisflies (Trichoptera), mussels (Unionidae) and stoneflies (Plecoptera). His core research themes of his scientific work are summarized into 3 main areas
1) Ecological Status and Management of Surface Waters
2) Biodiversity Protection and Conservation of Aquatic Invertebrates
3) Systematic Taxonomy and Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates
From 2002, when he start his employment at the Institute of Inland Waters (since 2012, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters), he has participated in 12 international and 20 national research projects, related to basic and applied ecology of river ecosystems, ecological status monitoring and assessment and integrated river basin management. He has published 113 scientific publications in peer review journals and more than 100 publications in national and international conference proceedings. His work, as of 15/01/2026, has been cited more than 3,880 times. He is a certified IUCN assessor, where he recently assessed 130 species for the Red List of Threatened Animals of Greece and for the IUCN.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of Ecologica Montenegrina- https://www.biotaxa.org/em/ and serves as a Review Editor for Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Biogeography and Macroecology, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/sections/biogeography-and-macroecology
He has edited one book on Greek Rivers (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-55369-5) and several book chapters which are listed below:
Order Trichoptera, Identification and Ecology of Freshwater Arthropods in the Mediterranean Basin –https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821844-0.00009-0
Rivers of the Balkans – https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102612-0.00015-8
Freshwater Malacostraca of the Mediterranean Islands – Diversity, origin and conservation perspectives – https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003139560
The Ecological Integrity of Spring Ecosystems: A Global Review, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821139-7.00111-2
Publications
- Karaouzas I., Skoulikidis N., Giannakou U., Albanis T.A. (2011). Spatial and temporal effects of olive mill wastewaters to stream macroinvertebrates and aquatic ecosystems status. Water Research 45: 6334–6346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2011.09.014
- Karaouzas, I., Cotou, E., Albanis, T. A., Kamarianos, A., Skoulikidis, N. T. and Giannakou, U. (2011), Bioassays and biochemical biomarkers for assessing olive mill and citrus processing wastewater toxicity. Environmental Toxicology, 26: 669–676. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tox.20606
- Karaouzas I., Lambropoulou D.A., Skoulikidis N., Albanis T.A. (2011). Levels, sources and spatiotemporal variation of nutrients and micropollutants in small streams of a Mediterranean River Basin. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 13, 3064-3074. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C1EM10637F
- Karaouzas I. (2013). The larvae of the Aegean endemic caddisflies Hydropsyche debirasi Malicky 1974 and Hydropsyche kleobis Malicky 2001 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) with notes on their ecology and zoogeography. Zootaxa 3636 (4): 472–477. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3637.4.6
- Karaouzas I. (2014). Description of the larva of Philopotamus achemenus Schmid 1959 (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) with a key to the species of the genus in Greece. Zootaxa 3815 (3): 428–434. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3815.3.8
- Karaouzas I. (2014). The larva of Rhyacophila loxias Schmid, 1970 (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) with notes on its ecology. Aquatic Insects, 36(1), 15-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01650424.2014.999793
- Karaouzas I., Dimitriou E., Lampou A., Colombari E. (2015). Seasonal and spatial patterns of macroinvertebrate assemblages and environmental conditions in Mediterranean Temporary Ponds of Greece. Limnology 16: 41-53.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-014-0437-0
- Karaouzas I., Graf W., Kučinić M., Vučković, I. & Waringer, J. (2015). The larva of Rhyacophila balcanicaRadovanovic 1953 (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) with notes on ecology. Zootaxa, 4057(3), 444-450. https://doi.og/10.11646/zootaxa.4057.3.10
- Froufe, E., Prié, V., Faria, J., Ghamizi, M., Gonçalves, D. V., Gürlek, M., Karaouzas, I., E., Kebapçi, Ü, Şereflişan, H., Sobral, C., Sousa, R., Teixeira, A., Varandas, S., Zogaris, S., Manuel Lopes-Lima, M. (2016). Phylogeny, phylogeography, and evolution in the Mediterranean region: News from a freshwater mussel (Potomida, Unionida). Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 100, 322-332. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.030
- Karaouzas, I., Andriopoulou, A., Kouvarda, T., & Murányi, D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the Greek Stonefly Fauna (Insecta: Plecoptera). Zootaxa, 4111(4), 301-333. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4111.4.1
- Karaouzas, I. (2016). The larvae of Hydropsyche rhadamanthys Malicky 2001 and Hydropsyche sarpedon Malicky 2001 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), endemics of Crete (South Aegean, Greece), with notes on their ecology. Zootaxa, 4097(4), 557-566. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4097.4.7
- Malicky H. & Karaouzas I. (2016) A new species of Wormaldia McLachlan 1865 (Trichoptera, Philopotamidae) from Greece. Braueria 43: 17.
- Karaouzas I. & Waringer J. (2016) The larva of Lepidostoma doehleri Malicky 1976 (Trichoptera: Lepidostomatidae) with notes on ecology and a key to larvae for species of the genus in Greece. Zootaxa 4189 (3): 588–592. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4189.3.9
- Karaouzas I. (2016) The larva of Wormaldia asterusia Malicky 1972 (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) with notes on its ecology and an update on the Wormaldia of Greece with a larval key for species of the genus. Zootaxa 4200 (3): 389–394 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4200.3.4
- Karaouzas I. & Waringer J. (2017) The larva of Polycentropus ierapetra Malicky 1972 (Trichoptera: Polycentropodidae) including a key to the larvae of genus Polycentropus (Curtis 1835) in the Hellenic western Balkan region. Zootaxa 4294 (5): 586–592. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4294.5.7
- Kalogianni E, Vourka A, Karaouzas I, Vardakas L, Laschou S, Skoulikidis Th.N. 2017. Combined effects of water stress and pollution on macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages in a Mediterranean intermittent river. Science of the Total Environment, 603–604, 639-650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.078
- Waringer J. & Karaouzas I. (2017) The larva of Agapetus episkopi Malicky 1972 (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae), including a key to the Glossosomatidae larvae of the Hellenic western Balkan regions. Zootaxa 4329 (1): 073–080. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4329.1.3
- Karaouzas I. & Waringer J. (2017) The larva of Schizopelex huettingeri Malicky 1974 (Trichoptera: Sericostomatidae), including a preliminary key to the Sericostomatidae larvae of the Hellenic western Balkan region. Zootaxa 4311 (2): 271–279. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4311.2.8
- Lazaridou M, Ntislidou C, Karaouzas I, Skoulikidis N. (2018). Harmonisation of a new assessment method for estimating the ecological quality status of Greek running waters. Ecological Indicators 84, 683–694. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.09.032
- Karaouzas I., Smeti E., Vourka A., Vardakas L., Mentzafou A., Tornés E., Sabater S., Munoz I., Skoulikidis N.Th, Kalogianni E. (2018). Assessing the ecological effects of water stress and pollution in a temporary river – implications for water management. Science of the Total Environment 618, 1591–1604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.323
- Karaouzas I, Theodoropoulos C, Vardakas L, Kalogianni E, Skoulikidis N. (2018). A review of the effects of pollution and water scarcity on the stream biota of an intermittent Mediterranean basin. River research & Applications 34:291–299. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3254
- Lazaridou M, Ntislidou C, Karaouzas I, Skoulikidis N, Birk S. (2018). Harmonisation of an assessment method for estimating the ecological quality status of very large rives in Greece. Knowledge and management of Aquatic Ecosystems 419, 50. https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2018038
- Kapakos Y., Karaouzas I. (2019). Contribution to the knowledge of Atyidae and Palaemonidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) of Greece. Zootaxa 4543 (1): 145–150 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4543.1.10
- Karaouzas I, Smeti E., Kalogianni E., Skoulikidis N.Th. (2019). Ecological status monitoring and assessment in Greek rivers: Do macroinvertebrate and diatom indices indicate same responses to anthropogenic pressures? Ecological Indicators 101: 126–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.01.011
- Karaouzas I, Theodoropoulos C, Vourka A, Gritzalis K, & Skoulikidis N. (2019). Stream invertebrate communities are primarily shaped by hydrological factors and ultimately fine-tuned by local habitat conditions. Science of the Total Environment 665, 290–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.134
- Kumar V., Parihar R.D., Sharma A., Bakshi P., Sidhu G.P.S, Bali A.S., Karaouzas I., Bhardwaj R., Thukral A.K., Gyasi-Agyei Y., Comino J.R. (2019). Global evaluation of heavy metal content in surface water bodies: a meta-analysis using heavy metal pollution indices and multivariate statistical analyses. Chemosphere, 236, 124364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124364
- Karaouzas I., Zawal A., Michoński G., Pešić V. (2019). Contribution to the knowledge of the caddisfly fauna of Montenegro – New data and records from the karstic springs of Lake Skadar basin. Ecologica Montenegrina, 22, 34-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2019.22.3
- Valladolid M., Karaouzas I., Arauzo M., Dorda B.A., Rey I. (2019) The Rhyacophila fasciata Group in Greece: Rhyacophila kykladica Malicky & Sipahiler 1993 (stat. prom.) (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae). Morphological description, genetic and ecological features. Zootaxa 4657(3), 503-522. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4657.3.6
- Smeti Ε., Kalogianni Ε., Karaouzas I., Laschou S., Tornés Ε., Castro-Català N.De, Anastasopoulou Ε., Koutsodimou Μ, Andriopoulou Α., Vardakas L., Muñoz I., Sabater S., Skoulikidis N.Th. (2019) Effects of olive mill wastewater discharge on benthic biota in Mediterranean streams. Environmental Pollution, 254, 113057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113057
- Theodoropoulos C., Karaouzas I., Vourka A., Skoulikidis N. (2020) ELF – A benthic macroinvertebrate multi-metric index for the assessment and classification of hydrological alteration in rivers. Ecological Indicators, 108, 105713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105713
- Karaouzas I., Zogaris S., Froufe E., Lopes-Lima M. (2020) Rival at the gate: First record of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea Müller, 1774 (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae) in Greece. Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 421, 24. https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2020017
- Dambri B., Karouzas I., Samraoui B., Samraoui F. (2020) Contribution to the knowledge of the caddisfly fauna of Algeria – An updated checklist of Algerian Trichoptera with new records from the Aures region. Zootaxa 4786, (2) 221–232. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4786.2.4
- Karaouzas I., Kapetanaki N., Mentzafou A., Kanellopoulos T.D., Skoulikidis N. (2021). Heavy Metal Contamination Status in Greek Surface Waters; a review with application and evaluation of pollution indices. Chemosphere 263, 128192 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128192
- Hupało K., Karaouzas I., Mamos T., Grabowski M. (2020) Molecular data suggest multiple origins and diversification times of freshwater gammarids on the Aegean Archipelago. Nature Scientific Reports 10:19813, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75802-2
- Masouras A., Karaouzas I., Dimitriou E., Tsirtsis G., Smeti E. (2021) Benthic Diatoms in River Biomonitoring – Present and Future Perspectives within the Water Framework Directive. Water, 13, 478. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13040478
- Theodoropoulos, C., Karaouzas, I. (2021) Climate change and the future of Mediterranean freshwater macroinvertebrates: a model-based assessment. Hydrobiologia 848, 5033–5050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04691-x
- Stubbington R., Sarremejane R., Laini A., Cid N., Csabai Z., England J., Munné A., Aspin T., Bonada N, Bruno D., Cauvy-Fraunie S., Chadd R., Fortuño Estrada P., Graf W., Cayetano Gutiérrez Cánovas, House A., Karaouzas I, Kazila E., Millán A., Morais M., Pařil P., Pickwell A., Polášek M., Sánchez Fernández, D., Tziortzis I., Walker-Holden E., White J., Várbíró G., Voreadou C. and Datry T. (2022) Disentangling responses to natural stress and human impact gradients in river ecosystems across Europe. Journal of Applied Ecology 59: 537–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14072
- Karaouzas I, Leris I, Kapakos Y, Kalaitzakis N, Fytilis K, Kouraklis P, Kalogianni E. (2022). In search of the unexpected: A new finding of the noble crayfish Astacus astacus L., (Decapoda, Astacidae) redefines its distribution in Greece. Knowledge & Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 423, 1, https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2021039
- Karaouzas I, Gonçalves D., Riccardi N., Varandas S., Froufe E., Zogaris S., Lopes-Lima M. (2022). First established population of the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in Greece. BioInvasions Records11(1): 165–172. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2022.11.1.16
- 85) Valladolid M, Karaouzas I, Ibrahimi H, Arauzo M, Slavevska Stamenković V, Dorda B.A, Hinić H, Bilalli A, Musliu M, Rey I. (2022). The Rhyacophila fasciata Group in Europe: Rhyacophila macedonica Karaouzas, Valladolid & Ibrahimi (n. sp.) from Greece, Kosovo and Republic of North Macedonia (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae). Morphological description, genetic and ecological features. Zootaxa 5125(2):101-130 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5125.2.1
- 90) Jupke J.F., Birk S., Apostolou A., Aroviita J., Baattrup-Pedersen A,; Baláži P., Baresova L., Blanco S., Borrego M., van Dam H, Dimitriou E., Feld C.K., Ferreira M.T., Gecheva G., Gomà J., Hanžek N., Haslev I.M., Isheva T., Jamoneau A., Jyrkänkallio-Mikkola J., Kahlert M., Karaouzas I., Karjalainen S.M., Olenici A., Panek P., Paril P., Edwin T.H.M.P., Polášek M., Pont D., Pumputyte A., Sandin L., Sochuliakova L., Soininen J., Stanković I., Straka M., Šušnjara M., Sutela T., Roseberry J.T., Udovič M.G., Verhofstad M., Žutinić P., Schäfer R.B. (2023). European river typologies fail to capture diatom, fish, and macrophyte community composition. Science of the Total Environment, 896, 165081 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165081
- Kabus J, Cunze S, Dombrowski A, Karaouzas I, Shumka S, Jourdan J. (2023). Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii. PeerJ 11: e15800 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15800
- Lorenz A.W., Kaijser W., Acuña V., Austnes K, Bonada N, Dörflinger G., Ferreira T., Karaouzas I., Ricok A., Hering D. (2023) Stressors affecting the ecological status of temporary rivers in the Mediterranean. Science of the Total Environment, 903, 166254 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166254
- Vourka, A., Karaouzas, I. & Parmakelis, A. (2023) River benthic macroinvertebrates and environmental DNA metabarcoding: a scoping review of eDNA sampling, extraction, amplification and sequencing methods. Biodiversity Conservation 32, 4221–4238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02710-y
- Lopes-Lima M, Geist J, Egg S, Beran L, Bikashvili A, Van Bocxlaer B, Bogan AE, Bolotov I, Chelpanovskaya OA, Douda K, Fernandes V, Gomes-dos-Santos A, Gonçalves DV, Gürlek ME, Johnson NA, Karaouzas I, Kebapçı Ü, Kondakov A, Kuehn R, Lajtner J, Mumladze L, Nagel K-O, Neubert E, Österling M, Pfeiffer J, Prié V, Riccardi N, SellJ, Schneider LD, Shumka S, Sirbu I, Skujienė G, Smith C, Sousa R, Stöckl K, Taskinen J, Teixeira A, Todorov M, Trichkova T, Urbańska M, Välilä S, Varandas S, Veríssimo J, Vikhrev I, Woschitz G, Zając K, Zając T, Zanatta D, ZieritzA, Zogaris S, Froufe E. (2024). Integrative phylogenetic, phylogeographic and morphological studies of the Unio crassusspecies complex reveal cryptic diversity with important conservation implications. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 195, 108046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108046
- Karaouzas I, Kapakos Y, Fytilis K, Leris I, Kalaitzakis N, Kouraklis P, Perdikaris C and Kalogianni E. (2024) The first finding of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in Greece calls for rapid measures. Limnology, 25, 229–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-024-00744-x
- Kabus J., Schaub C., Fritsche D., Cocchiararo B., Fišer C., Grabowski M., Karaouzas I., Nowak C., Shumka S., Jourdan J. (2025). Morphological crypsis within a crustacean species complex is driven by within-species phenotypic diversification. Scientific Reports 15, 43020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-29270-1