Mills Lab

Tim Engelkes

Postdoctoral Researcher

(510) 643 59 03

tengelkes@berkeley.edu

BIO-SKETCH

Dr. Tim Engelkes is a postdoctoral researcher at UCBerkeley in the group of Professor Nick Mills since 2010 and studies the role of trophic interactions in species invasions. He received his Master of Science degree in 2003 from the University of Amsterdam in Ecology and Biodiversity, and gained international research experience in insect population ecology and molecular techniques at Copenhagen University in 2002. His PhD dissertation 'Climate warming, plant invasions and plant-enemy interactions' was completed in 2010 at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and Wageningen University. Since his masters projects he has been working with invasive species (ants, plants) and decided to focus on biological invasions with special interest for parasitoid-host interactions linked to climate change. His overall goal is to advance our understanding of the role of predator-prey interactions in invasive contexts.

CURRENT PROJECTS

My current work is centered around the the invasive exotic Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) in California. With ongoing changes in climate and even a higher frequency of exotic species introductions, I am curious how this all affects interactions between the invading and native species as well as between invasive species. This system provides a unique opportunity to study novel species interactions in novel environments.

In order to fully explore novel parasitoid pressure on E. postvittana, I focus on the 3 most dominant parasitoids covering all immature life stages of the host.

PUBLICATIONS

Engelkes T, Mills NJ (2013). A fast-track for invasion: Invasive plants promote the performance of an invasive herbivore. Biological Invasions 15: 101-111.

Engelkes T, Wouters B, Bezemer TM, Harvey JA, van der Putten WH (2012). Contrasting patterns of herbivore and predator pressure on invasive and native plants. Basic and Applied Ecology 13: 725-734.

Engelkes T, Mills NJ (2011). A conceptual framework for understanding arthropod predator and parasitoid invasions. BioControl 56: 383-393.

Morrien E, Engelkes T, van der Putten WH (2011). Additive effects of aboveground polyphagous herbivores and soil feedback in native and range-expanding exotic plants. Ecology 92: 1344-1352.

Harvey JA, Biere A, Fortuna T, Vet LEM, Engelkes T, Morrien E, Gols R, Verhoeven KJF, Vogel H, Macel M,Heidel-Fischer HM, Schramm K, van der Putten WH (2010). Ecological fits, mis-fits and lotteries involving insect herbivores on the invasive plant, Bunias orientalis. Biological Invasions 12: 3045-3059.

Morrien E, Engelkes T, Meisner A, Macel M, van der Putten WH (2010). Climate change and invasion by intracontinental range-expanding exotic plants: the role of biotic interactions. Annals of Botany 105: 843-848.

Bezemer TM, Harvey JA, Kamp AFD, Wagenaar R, Gols R, Kostenko O, Fortuna T, Engelkes T, Vet LEM, van der Putten WH, Soler R (2010). Behaviour of male and female parasitoids in the field: influence of host density, patch size and habitat complexity. Ecological Entomology 35: 241-251.

Engelkes T, Morrien E, Verhoeven KJF, Bezemer TM, Biere A, Harvey JA, McIntyre LM, Tamis WLM & van der Putten WH (2008). Successful range- expanding plants experience less above-ground and below-ground enemy impact. Nature 456: 946-948.

Mauquoy D, Engelkes T, Groot MHM, Markesteijn F, Oudejans MG, van der Plicht J, van Geel B (2002). High-resolution records of late Holocene climate change and carbon accumulation in two north-west European ombrotrophic peat bogs. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 186: 275-310.

TEACHING

Guest lectures

- Biological Control: Augmentation
- Biological Control: IPM
- Insect Ecology: Invasion Ecology
- Insect Ecology: Invasive Insects

Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
University of California, Berkeley
137 Mulford Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114
nmills@berkeley.edu