Book Review Ecology Evolution Seagrass
Seagrass Fights Back Against Grazing!
If you were a plant, like seagrass, how would you prevent other creatures from eating you? Do you even try?…
Category: Evolution
Coral Evolution Geology Ocean Exploration
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin
207 years ago, a renowned naturalist and geologist was born; Charles Darwin. Today OceanBites is honoring Charles Darwin and his…
Biology Conservation Evolution Fisheries Natural History
Sea of Love: Hermaphroditic fishes
Finding a date on Valentine’s Day can be hard! Whether you are single or in a relationship, we are trying…
Ecology Evolution
Sea of Love: The Fascinating Story of Sexual Parasitism
When they think of deep sea fish, most people think of that crazy fish from Finding Nemo with the big…
Biology Evolution Natural History
How to See Through a Shell
You may never have heard of this funny little ocean creature, but the chiton is pretty incredible. Why? It has…
Biology Book Review Ecology Evolution
Cuttlefish “freeze-out” their predators
Cephalopods such as cuttlefish are known to use camouflage behavior to avoid being eaten. Sharks are able to find disguised…
Ecology Evolution Human impacts Invasive Species
Death by evolution: how a hapless adaptation aided in the untimely demise of a Lake Victorian fish
Scientists have demonstrated that a human-induced extinction of a tropical lake fish was unwittingly assisted by a millions year old…
Biology Climate Change Developmental Biology Ecology Evolution Physiology
Warming up to climate change
Are you a fish that can’t cope with warming oceans? Don’t hesitate, acclimate! Scientists have found if fish have the…
Evolution
The coelacanth and its leftover lung
The coelacanth keeps surprising us! Rediscovered off the South African coast in 1938, these animals were once thought to have…
Behavior Biology Book Review Evolution
Colorful adaptations: the use of fluorescence as a lure
When viewed under the right filter, the world can look like one big black light party. A large variety of…
Biology Developmental Biology Ecology Evolution
The Sting of Sex: odd mating adaptations of box jellyfish
It might be hard for a box jellyfish to buy into the old adage “sex sells,” especially when their gonads…
Evolution genomics Natural History
Philosopher cephalopod: the octopus genome reveals the origin of its intellect
The octopus genome sheds light on the strange intelligence of a mysterious creature.
Biology Evolution
The ‘Eyes’ Have It: Co-option of organelles led to the evolution of dinoflagellate eyes
The evolution of eyes has been the subject of debate for many years. Recent studies on a group of rare…
Biology Book Review Evolution Genetics
Seeing with skin: the secret to octopus camouflage
Capable of blending into the environment in a matter of seconds, the octopus in no normal sea creature. But just…
Evolution Microbiology Natural History
From 591 leagues under the sea to eukaryote and me: introducing the closest known relative to our cells
Scientists think they've found an ancient link to the eukaryotic cell from the deep down in the ocean, and it's…
Book Review Climate Change Conservation Evolution Ocean Acidification
Coral Reef Restoration Through Human-Assisted Evolution
Coral reefs populations are declining. Is it possible that we could help restore coral reefs by speeding up their evolutionary…
Developmental Biology Evolution Natural History
A head of their time: how invertebrates had it in them all along to form the vertebrate head
We owe our hard heads to our invertebrate ancestors.
Evolution Genetics Ocean Acidification
Like father, like son? Is survival under ocean acidification heritable?
Can marine life adapt to ocean acidification? Well, first we need to understand if these favourable characteristics (survival under elevated…
Biology Coastal Management Evolution Human impacts Modeling
Baleen whales have a bone to pick with noise pollution
CT scans of the skull of a beached whale has helped a pair of researchers figure out how baleen whales…
Biology Conservation Ecology Evolution Invasive Species
Risking It All For Love: Courtship behavior by a reef fish makes it vulnerable to lionfish predation
Paper: Black, A.N., S.R. Weimann, V.E. Imhoff, M.L. Richter, and M. Itzkowitz. 2014. A differential prey response to invasive lionfish,…