Annica Gullberg

Microsatellites in the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis): Description, Variation, Inheritance, and Applicability

We developed microsatellite markers for the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) to enable investigations of the genetic variability within and among populations with a heterogeneous spatial distribution in Sweden. The populations, which could not be characterized by variation in allozymes or mitochondrial DNA, had a substantial level of variability in microsatellite loci. However, the variability in Swedish populations was limited compared to a large, outbred Hungarian population. In the sand lizard, the number of (GT/CA)nrepeats was approximately three times higher than that for (CT/GA)n. The number of repeats and the frequency of microsatellites were within the range reported for other species. Three of nine microsatellite loci showed alleles that could not be amplified, which is in agreement with recent reports describing microsatellite “null alleles” as a common occurrence. We discuss the caution which this calls for when calculating paternity probabilities and when estimating between-population allelic differentiation. A potential problem with different mutation rates for alleles within the same locus is discussed.

Sperm choice and sperm competition: suggestions for field and laboratory studies

The recent explosion of research on sperm competition, and the emerging idea that females may control paternity of their offspring via sperm choice, raise many methodological questions. One central issue is the role of inbreeding-induced mortality of offspring. We present a theoretical model which makes the relationship between parental relatedness and offspring mortality explicit, and discuss its applicability as a null model of offspring mortality in studies of sperm competition/ sperm choice. We also discuss the extent to which partner relatedness may be overlooked in studies of behavioural ecology in natural populations, and the extent to which a failure to mimic crucial aspects of sperm competition scenarios in the wild may limit our ability to make evolutionary inferences from laboratory experiments.

Ignoring Half the Sky: A Feminist Critique of Science Education’s Knowledge Society

A Chinese proverb observes that women ‘hold up half the sky’, yet often in science education we have ignored the knowledge generated by feminist researchers about how females engage and participate in science. Further, science education has often failed to consider the implications from feminist critiques of science on science education. This chapter will provide a feminist perspective on who generates knowledge in science education and what knowledge is acceptable as ‘scientific’ by the field. Second, we will discuss the culture of science education and discuss whether science educators value the knowledge produced by gender and feminist researchers. In particular, we will examine the integration (or lack thereof) of gender issues into the dominant areas in science education research, such as teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, the development of students’ science knowledge through inquiry, the role of conceptual change, and teachers’ preparation and professional development programmes. Third, we will provide examples of how gender theory and feminist perspectives in science education could generate new knowledge about gender and science education.

Interstitial Spaces: A Model for Transgressive Processes

The chapter introduces the concepts of interstitial spaces and transgressive identities to examine the boundaries of gender and feminist studies, science, and education and discuss our research practices and positions. We use a metalogue as the vehicle for analyzing our autobiographies to provide examples when we have operated in interstitial spaces and engaged transgressive identities. Interstitial spaces exist between and within boundaries. These spaces are possible sites within a defined context (a discipline, a practice, a culture) that may be occupied by an actor/agent working as a “carrier” of different cultural practices, knowledge, and theories. A “carrier” can use the interstitial space to influence and challenge a “new” context and thus loosen up boundaries but can also by experiencing new cultures and developing new knowledge return to the “old” culture to integrate these new practices. Thus, interstitial spaces establish a context for transgressive identities to emerge so one can act in ways to transform and change the cultures of disciplines. We use transgressive identities as a theoretical description and understanding of our research practices and positions.