Janina Rinke
Molecular Evolution and Sociobiology
Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity
University of Münster
Hüfferstr. 1
48149 Münster, Germany
Room 219
Phone: +49 251/83-210921
j_rink02@uni-muenster.de
Nationality: German
External: https://twitter.com/jannelrinke
Genetic basis of social insect evolution
Comparative genomics
Genome evolutionary dynamics
Horizontal gene transfer
Adaptive evolution
The evolution of genome compartmentalization in the ant genus Cardiocondyla
I am working with different species of the ant Cardiocondyla to investigate the evolution of transposable elements in these ants. My main research goal is to get an idea how transposable elements might have influenced the genome evolution of this genus and evolution of these ants in general.
Interestingly, the genome of the ant C. obscurior – of which we have a high-quality genome assembly – is highly compartmentalized into slowly evolving TE-poor regions and fast-evolving TE-rich regions. By using comparative genomic, population genomic and transcriptomic studies, I am hoping to shed light on this phenomenon in Cardiocondyla spp and aim to unravel its effects on the species’ ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Buellesbach J.*, Rinke J.*, Thomas, J.M., Reuter L., Hartmann V., Pohl M., Gadau J., Ernst U.R. (2023) “Worker policing independent of strikingly different egg chemotypes in carpenter ants”, Evolutionary Ecology (*Authors contributed equally)