Botanic Garden Meise - OUR SCIENTISTS
Olivier RASPE, PhD
Senior Researcher, Mycology, Molecular Systematics and Ecology
CONTACT : Olivier Raspé +32 2 260.09.37
RESEARCH INTERESTS
As a mycologist, I am mostly interested in the diversity and evolution of Boletinae. Boletinae form the largest group of the order Boletales, with over 1,000 species, and still many more to be discovered and described. Boletineae are mostly ectomycorrhizal fungi, which means that they form symbiotic associations with trees. They include many edible species, including the renowned Porcini mushrooms. They are morphologically very diverse, and the systematics of the group has been unstable through the years. Recently, however, molecular studies have greatly helped clarifying evolutionary relationships within this group. The work is still in progress, and one of my objectives is to contribute to a worldwide natural classification of the Boletinae, based on multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. I am also interested in other groups of Basidiomycetes, in particular other ectomycorrhizal genera such as Amanita.
My research has so far been focused on South-East Asia, and in particular Northern Thailand, but I plan to extend geographical coverage in the near future.
As a molecular ecologist, I have worked on the development and use of molecular markers (mostly microsatellites) to address questions in population biology and conservation. I am also interested in the study of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and their relationships with the environment and plant communities.
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