Biology Genetics
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!
It’s been an incredible year and a half, but this will be my final regular post with Oceanbites. Thanks for…
Author: Dina Navon
I am a doctoral candidate in the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I'm interested in how an individual's genes and the environment in which it grows come together to determine its physical traits. I study a group of closely related freshwater fish called cichlids which live in the African rift lakes like Victoria, Malawi, and Tanganyika.
Biology
Rocky Beauty Nestled in Salem Sound
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and gratitude. This month, I want to talk about my own journey with the…
Biology
Marine Halloween: Creepiest Looking Critters
In honor of our Marine Halloween theme, this month I’ll be presenting my picks for the creepiest looking marine critters,…
Invasive Species
When Aliens Invade: Disturbed Food Webs in the Mediterranean
Invasive species can wreak havoc on an ecosystem. Learn about the fishy invasion currently underway in the Mediterranean Sea and…
Biology
Evolution of the opercle: changing bones reflect marine/freshwater divide
The shift from marine to freshwater habitat is a drastic one, and many evolutionary changes accompany it. This article focuses…
Conservation
Analyzing supply and demand of overharvested manta and devil rays
Manta and devil rays, closely related to sharks, are at serious risk of extinction due to overfishing. They are primarily…
Biology
Ocean Acidification Disrupts Yellowfin Tuna Development
We’ve heard a lot about ocean acidification and how it negatively impacts calcified organisms like corals or shellfish. But did…
Behavior
Fish – Animal Parents of the Year, 2016
When we think of parental care, fish aren’t usually the animals that jump to mind. But some fish do take…
Aquaculture
Larval Donkey’s ear abalone threatened by climate change
Abalone are an economically and culturally important group of edible sea snails, and a new study demonstrates that they’re at…
Biology Genetics
A cod by any other name would taste as sweet?
Seafood is a staple of the American diet, particularly on the coasts. Distributors frequently mislabel seafood, accidentally or fraudulently, because…
Biology Genetics
Little fish, new pond – watching stickleback evolution in real-time
When most people think about evolution, they see it as an extremely slow, gradual process that occurs over almost unthinkably…
Biology
Oceanbites at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Part I
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) hosts an annual meeting in the United States. With over two thousand…
Behavior
I, Spy – Eye stripes and spots work together to distract predators
Eyespots and eye stripes are common markings on fish bodies. It is thought that they divert predator attacks away from…
Biology Genetics
Stressed-Out Oysters: Molecular Coping Mechanisms for Anxiety
Oysters live a life of constant stress in the ever-changing intertidal habitat. In order to deal with extreme variation in…
Biology Genetics
Healthy Obesity: Whales and Dolphins Benefit from their Blubber
Scientists study the genetic underpinnings of blubber formation in whales and dolphins, highlighting genes that may play a key role…
Biology
Lobsters may dive deeper as climate changes
The American lobster is an iconic and economically significant species found all along the New England coast. Due to temperature…