#  Elena Kramer 

Bussey Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Dean of Science Education

Faculty Fellow of the Arnold Arboretum

Co-Director of Harvard Integrated Life Sciences

Director of Graduate Programs in the Natural Sciences

 

 

 



   ![Elena Kramer smiling, with long dark hair, glasses, and wearing a blue shirt, in front of grey background](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/oeb/files/elena_kramer_crop.jpeg?itok=A3AhwoEr) 

 



 

 location\_on Biological Laboratories16 Divinity AvenueCambridge, MA 02138 

 smartphone [617-496-3460](tel:617-496-3460) 

 email <ekramer@oeb.harvard.edu> 

 laptop\_windows [Kramer Lab](http://kramerlab.oeb.harvard.edu/) 

 

 



 

Faculty Support: [Erin Ciccone](/people/erin-ciccone)

My lab is very broadly interested in the evolution of floral morphology. We use molecular, morphological, and phylogenetic approaches to study how flowers have changed over the course of evolutionary time. Research projects in the lab cover a diverse set of topics, including gene lineage evolution and the effects of gene duplication, the morphological diversification of floral parts such as petals and fruits, and the evolutionary and ecological significance of pollinator interactions. Within this context, one of our major focus areas is the development of Aquilegia (columbine) as a new system for studying evolutionary and ecological questions, but we also work on other diverse lineages, including Loasaceae and Tropaeolum.

**Recent Publications**

Edwards, M. B., E. S. Ballerini, E. M. Kramer. (2022) Complex developmental and transcriptional dynamics underlie pollinator-driven evolutionary transitions in nectar spur morphology in *Aquilegia* (columbine). American Journal of Botany, 10.1002/ajb2.16046.

Min, Y., S. J. Conway, E. M. Kramer. (2022) Quantitative live imaging of floral organ initiation and floral meristem termination in *Aquilegia*. Development, 149, dev200256.

Edwards, M. B., G. P. T. Choi, N. J. Dereig, Y. Min, A. C. Diana, S. A. Hodges, L. Mahadevan, E. M. Kramer, E. S. Ballerini. (2021) Genetic architecture of floral traits in bee- and hummingbird-pollinated sister species of *Aquilegia* (columbine). Evolution, 75: 2197–2216.

Ballerini, E. S., Y. Min, M. B. Edwards, E. M. Kramer, S. A. Hodges. (2020) *POPOVICH*, encoding a C2H2-zinc finger transcription factor, plays a central role in the development of a key innovation, floral nectar spurs, in *Aquilegia*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 117: 22552-22560

Filiault, D. L., E. S. Ballerini, T. Mandáková, G. Aköz, N. J. Derieg, J. Schmutz, J. Jenkins, J. Grimwood, S. Shu, R. D. Hayes, U. Hellsten, K. Barry, J. Yan, S. Mihaltcheva, M. Karafiátová, V. Nizhynska, E. M. Kramer, M. A. Lysak, S. A. Hodges, M. Nordborg. (2018) The *Aquilegia* genome provides insight into adaptive radiation and reveals an extraordinarily polymorphic chromosome with a unique history. eLife, 10.7554/eLife.36426.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Building
    
     [Bio Labs](/building/bio-labs)
- ## Lab Group
    
     [Kramer Lab Members](/lab-group/kramer-laboratory)
- ## People
    
     [Faculty](/people/faculty) [Department Faculty](/people/department-faculty)
- ## Research Areas
    
     [Evolution](/research-areas/evolution) [Biodiversity &amp; Systematics](/research-areas/biodiversity-and-systematics) [Evolutionary Developmental Biology](/research-areas/evolutionary-developmental-biology) [Population &amp; Evolutionary Genetics](/research-areas/population-and-evolutionary-genetics)
- ## Search by Last Name
    
     [I-L](/search-last-name/i-l)