Dr. Emily Rose has been awarded a Fiscal Year 2022 competition-based Faculty Research Seed Grant for her proposal, “The Effects of Algal Turbidity on Mating System Evolution in Dwarf Seahorses.” The primary objective of the project is to determine if seahorse mating system, including their behaviors and reproductive output (number of offspring), is affected by turbid waters created by algal blooms due to pollutants. Dr. Rose and her team of undergraduates will be documenting seahorse populations in the wild to compare to the results of manipulated behavioral trials of seahorses in the lab at VSU by recording videos in turbid and clear waters during the mating trials, assigning parentage analyses, and counting the number of offspring born.

Dr. Emily Rose is an Assistant Professor in the Biology department. She has a Ph.D. in Biology from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Marine Science & Biology from the University of Tampa. Her research interests include the effects of anthropogenic impacts, including habitat disturbances and endocrine disruptors, on mating system evolution by integrating a variety of approaches, including behavioral and molecular techniques, sexual selection theory and evolutionary ecology.