Skip to content
oceanbites

oceanbites

Ocean science for everyone!

  • About oceanbites
    • Style Guide
  • Our authors
  • Oceanbites Out Loud
  • Write for oceanbites!
  • Other science bites sites

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 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…
December 20, 2016December 20, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
November 22, 2016December 3, 2016 Dina Navon
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,…
October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
September 2, 2016August 31, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
July 1, 2016July 29, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
June 1, 2016May 28, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
May 3, 2016May 28, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
March 2, 2016July 6, 2022 Dina Navon
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…
February 2, 2016February 3, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
January 20, 2016January 16, 2016 Dina Navon
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…
December 16, 2015December 17, 2015 Dina Navon
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…
November 21, 2015November 23, 2015 Dina Navon
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…
October 20, 2015October 27, 2015 Dina Navon
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…
September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 Dina Navon

Search oceanbites

WordPress Theme: BlogGrid by TwoPoints.