Fay, Michael F.
Job Title
Head of Genetics
Department
Jodrell
Section
Genetics
Science Teams:
- Drylands: Africa
- Tropical America
- Large-Scale Syntheses
- Monocots I: General Alismatids & Lilioids
- Monocots II: Commelinids
- Monocots III: Orchids
- Rubiaceae
- UK Overseas Territories
- United Kingdom
- Restoration Ecology
Joined Kew:
1986Foreign Language(s):
French, Spanish, WelshQualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons), Univ. Wales (Aberystwyth), 1981
PhD, Univ. Wales, 1989.
Bicentenary Medal, Linnean Society, 2000
Chair, IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group; Reintroduction Specialist Group
Member, UK Biodiversity Research Advisory Group (UKBRAG)
Council, Linnean Society of London (2003-2007; 2008-2011)
Vice President, Linnean Society of London (2009-present)
Editorial Boards: Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (Editor in Chief), Kew Scientist (Editor), Annals of Botany, Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Kew Magazine
Founding Editor, Botanic Gardens Micropropagation News (1990-1995)
Role
Conservation genetics, phylogenetics and genome research.
Collecting genetic data (DNA fingerprint and sequences) to provide information that is used to help inform conservation of rare species. Much of this work relates to the UK and is carried out in collaboration with the statutory conservation agencies, but some relates to plants from elsewhere, e.g. St Helena, Spain, Brazil. Orchids form a major focus of these studies. Phylogenetic studies mostly focus on monocots, with Asparagales and Liliales being major interests. Placement of rare or enigmatic taxa and assessment of species delimitation are areas of overlap between conservation genetics and phylogenetics. Genome research includes coordination of studies on evolution of genome structure and size using a range of cytogenetic and molecular techniques. The evolution of the largest angiosperm genomes is currently a major focus, notably in Liliaceae and Melanthiaceae.
Projects
- Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III
- Coffee Phylogeny Project
- Conservation Assessment and Red listing of European Orchids
- Conservation Genetics of UK Plants
- Consider the Lilies
- Darwin Initiative Assessment of the Coastal Biodiversity of Anegada, British Virgin Islands - Project completed (2003-06)
- DNA Banking of the UK Flora and Mycota: a Resource for Conservation Genetics and Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology
- Establishing a Standard DNA Barcode for Land Plants (project completed 2007)
- Ex Situ Conservation of Threatened UK Bryophytes
- Complete Generic Phylogenetic Tree for all Seed Plants
- Genomic studies on UK flora: cytotype distribution and incidence of polyploidy
- Genomics and gene flow barriers in hybrid Populus - COMPLETED 2010
- Genomic Studies in Angiosperms
- Genomic Studies in Monocots
- Grasses and Sedges of Britain and Ireland - COMPLETED 2009
- Guinea Yams of Ethiopia
- Haemodoraceae: phylogenetics, biology and conservation
- In Vitro Conservation of Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (L. Bailey) H.E. Moore)
- Kew Latin American Research Fellowships
- Monocot Checklist-Project Completed
- Morphometrics of Lilioid & Alismatid monocots
- Phylogenetics of the Monocots
- Phylogenetics of Orchidaceae
- Phylogeny and pollination biology of Westringieae, Lamiaceae - COMPLETED 2008
- Plant Diversity Challenge: the Official UK Response to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
- Plant DNA C-Values Database
- Molecular Population Genetics of Four Closely Related Alcantarea Species (Bromeliaceae) Adapted to 'Inselbergs' in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil - COMPLETED 2008
- Population Genetics of UK Orchids
- UKOTs Online Herbarium
- Systematics and Conservation Genetics of Asparagales
- Systematics and Genetics of Liliales
- Enabling the People of Montserrat to Conserve the Centre Hills - Project completed (2006-09)
- Falkland Islands Plant Conservation - Project completed (2007-2009)
- Turks and Caicos Islands Pine Recovery Programme
Selected Recent Publications
- APG III. (2009). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 161: 105-121.
- Leitch, I. J., Beaulieu, J. M., Chase, M. W., Leitch, A. R. & Fay, M. F. (2010). Genome size dynamics and evolution in monocots. J. Bot. 2010: Article ID 862516, 18 pages, doi:10.1155/2010/862516.
- Micheneau, C., Duffy, K. J., Smith, R. J., Stevens L. J., Stout, J. C., Civeyrel, L., Cowan, R. S. & Fay, M. F. (2010). Plastid microsatellites for the study of genetic variability in the widespread Cephalanthera longifolia, C. damasonium and C. rubra (Neottieae, Orchidaceae), and cross amplification in other Cephalanthera species. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 163: 181-193.
- Paun, O., Bateman, R. M., Fay, M. F., Luna J. A., Moat, J., Hedrén, M. & Chase, M. W. (2011). Altered gene expression and ecological divergence in sibling allopolyploids of Dactylorhiza (Orchidaceae). BMC Evol. Biol. 11: 113 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-113).
- Pellicer, J., Fay, M. F. & Leitch, I. J. (2010). The largest eukaryote genome of them all? Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 164: 10-15.
Selected Earlier Publications
- Chase, M.W. & Fay, M.F. (2009). Barcoding of plants and fungi. Science 325 (5941): 682-683.
- Fay, M.F., Bone, R., Cook, P., Kahandawala, I., Greensmith, J., Harris, S., Pedersen, H.Æ., Ingrouille, M.J. & Lexer, C. (2009). Genetic diversity in Cypripedium calceolus (Orchidaceae) with a focus on northwestern Europe, as revealed by plastid DNA length polymorphisms. Ann. Bot. 104: 359–364.
- Fay, M.F., Cowan, R.S. & Leitch, I.J. (2005). The effects of nuclear DNA content (C-value) on the quality and utility of AFLP fingerprints. Ann. Bot. 95: 237-246.
- Leitch, I.J. Kahandawala, I., Suda, J., Hanson, L., Ingrouille, M.J., Chase, M.W. & Fay M.F. (2009). Genome size diversity in orchids - consequences and evolution. Ann. Bot. 104: 469–481.
- Paun, O., Forest, F., Fay, M.F. & Chase, M.W. (2009). Hybrid speciation in angiosperms: parental divergence drives ploidy level. New Phytol. 182: 507-518.
