ASU SoLS Faculty: Stanely H. Faeth

I. Population and Community Ecology of Plants-Endophytic Fungi-Herbivores-Natural Enemies. II. Trophic Dynamics in Urban Food Webs

Dr. Faeth's research focuses on the ecology and evolution of plant-fungi-herbivore-natural enemy interactions. His research group studies how these interactions vary from parasitic to mutualistic over time and in different environments, and based upon host and symbiont genotypes. Through field, laboratory and greenhouse experiments, and molecular methods, they examine the role of endophytic fungi (asymptomatic fungal infections within plants) in mediating interactions among host plants and their invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores, plant competitors, and seed predators. The research group tests how ecological selective pressures, such as fire, drought, and nutrients, maintain mutualistic interactions between endophytic fungi and plants and how endophytic fungi influence plant and arthropod community structure. Dr. Faeth's group is actively participates in the Central Arizona Project Long Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER). Specifically, they study how urbanization influences arthropod diversity and how trophic structure of plant-herbivore-natural enemy communities changes in human-dominated environments.

Selected Publications

Faeth, S.H., Saikkonen K. and M. Helander. 2004. Asexual Neotyphodium endophytes in a native grass reduce competitive abilities. Ecology Letters 7: 304-313.

Shochat, E., Stevanov, W., Whitehouse, M.E.A., and S.H. Faeth. 2004. Urbanization and spider diversity: influences of human modification of habitat structure and productivity. Ecological Applications 14: 268-280.

Sullivan, T.J. and S.H. Faeth. 2004. Gene flow in the endophyte Neotyphodium and implications for coevolution with Festuca arizonica. Molecular Ecology 13: 649-656.

Saikkonen K., Helander M, and S.H. Faeth. 2004. Fungal endophytes: Hitchikers of the green world. Pages 77-95, In, M. Gillings and A. Holmes, eds. Plant Microbiology, BIOS Scientific Publishers, Oxford, UK.

Saikkonen K., P. Wäli, Helander M, and S.H. Faeth. 2004. Evolution of latency in foliar fungi. Trends in Plant Science 9(6): 275-280.

Hamilton, C.E. and S.H. Faeth. 2004. Asexual, systemic endophytes in grasses: a test of the seed germination and pathogen resistance hypothesis Symbiosis (in press).

Faeth, S.H. 2004. Plant endophytes: Role in defense against insects. In: Encyclopedia of Plant & Crop Science, R.M. Goodman, editor. Marcel-Dekker, New York, New York (in press).

Neil, K.L., R.L. Tiller and S.H. Faeth. 2003. Germination of big Sacaton and endophyte-infected Arizona fescue under water stress. Journal of Range Management 56:616-622.

Faeth, S.H. and T.J. Sullivan. 2003. Mutualistic, asexual endophytes in a native grass are usually parasitic. American Naturalist 161:310-325.

Morse, L J., T. A. Day and S. H. Faeth. 2002. Effect of Neotyphodium endophyte infection on growth and leaf gas exchange of Arizona fescue under contrasting watering availability regimes. Environmental and Experimental Botany 48(3):257-268.

Faeth, S. H., L. P. Bush and T. J. Sullivan. 2002. Peramine alkaloid variation in Neotyphodium-infected Arizona fescue: effects of endophyte and host genotype snd environment. Journal of Chemical Ecology 28:1511-1525.

Faeth, S.H., S.H. Haase, S.S. Sackett, T.J. Sullivan, R.K. Keithley* and C.E. Hamilton*. 2002. Does fire maintain systemic endophyte infections in native grasses? Symbiosis 32:211-228.

Faeth, S.H. 2002. Are endophytic fungi generally plant mutualists? Oikos 98:25-36.

Faeth, S.H. and W. F. Fagan. 2002. Fungal endophytes: common host plant symbionts but uncommon mutualists. Comparative and Integrative Biology 42:360-368.

Faeth, S.H. and T.L. Bultman. 2002. Endophytic fungi and interactions among host plants, herbivores and natural enemies. Pages 89-123, In, T. Tscharntke and B.A. Hawkins, eds. Multitrophic level interactions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Smallwood, P.D., M.A. Steele and S.H. Faeth. 2001. The ultimate basis of differential dispersal of red oaks by animals and the oak-dispersal hypothesis. American Zoologist 41:840-851.

Wilson, D. and S.H. Faeth. 2001. Do fungal endophytes result in selection for leafminer ovipositional preference? Ecology 81:1097-1111

McIntyre, N.E., J. Rango, W.F. Fagan, and S.H. Faeth. 2001. Ground arthropod community structure in a heterogeneous urban environment. Landscape and Urban Planning 52:257-274.

Rambo, J.L. and S.H. Faeth. 1999.The effect of vertebrate grazing on plant and insect community structure. Conservation Biology 13:1047-1054

Tibbets, T.M. and S.H. Faeth. 1999. Neotyphodium endophytes in grasses: deterrents or promoters of herbivory by leaf-cutting ants? Oecologia 118:297-305

Saikkonen, K., M. Helander, S.H. Faeth, F. Schulthess, and D. Wilson. 1999. Neotyphodium endophytes in native grass populations: against herbivory-based defensive mutualism. Oecologia 121:411-420

Schulthess, F. and S.H. Faeth. 1998. Distribution, abundances, and associations of the endophytic fungal community of Arizona fescue (Festucaarizonica). Mycologia 90: 569-578

Saikkonen, K, S.H. Faeth, M. Helander and T.J. Sullivan. 1998. Fungal endophytes: A continuum of interactions with host plants. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29: 319-343