Megan La Peyre, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
Megan's research focuses on estuarine ecology. Her lab is engaged in field and laboratory studies examining fish and invertebrate use of natural, restored and created shallow estuarine habitats including the ecology and ecosystem function of oyster reefs.
Teaching Interests
Megan teaches classes related to restoration of estuarine coastal systems, and natural resources policy.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2000-
Education and Certifications
Ph D Louisiana State University 2000
MS College of William and Mary 1995
BA Duke University 1992
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 87
Defining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) creates highly productive habitats in coastal areas, providing support for many important species of fish and wildlife. Despite the importance and documented loss of SAV across fresh to marine habitats globally, we lack consistent baseline data on estuarine SAV resources, particularly in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) estuaries. To understand SAV distribution
Authors
K. E. DeMarco, E. R. Hillmann, J. A. Nyman, Brady Couvillion, Megan K. La Peyre
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group monitoring and adaptive management strategy (LA TIG MAM Strategy)
The purpose of the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Strategy is to outline an approach for the LA TIG to prioritize MAM activities in Louisiana for effective and efficient evaluation of the restoration of resources injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Working from the Restoration Goals and Restoration Approaches outlined in the P
Divergence in salinity tolerance of northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oysters under field and laboratory exposure
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a foundation species within US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) estuaries that has experienced substantial population declines. As changes from management and climate are expected to continue to impact estuarine salinity, understanding how local oyster populations might respond and identifying populations with adaptations to more extreme changes in salinity could
Authors
D.A. Marshall, S.M. Casas, W.C. Walton, F.S. Rikard, T.A. Palmer, N. Breaux, Megan K. La Peyre, J.B. Pollack, M.A. Kelly, J.F. LaPeyre
Oyster model inventory: Identifying critical data and modeling approaches to support restoration of oyster reefs in coastal U.S. Gulf of Mexico waters
Executive SummaryAlong the coast of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) plays important ecological and economic roles. Commercial landings from this region account for more than 50 percent of all U.S. landings; these oyster reefs also provide varied ecosystem services, including nursery habitat for many fish and macroinvertebrate species, shoreline protection, and w
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, Danielle A. Marshall, Shaye E. Sable
Tolerance of northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oysters to chronic warming at extreme salinities
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, provides critical ecosystem services and supports valuable fishery and aquaculture industries in northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) subtropical estuaries where it is grown subtidally. Its upper critical thermal limit is not well defined, especially when combined with extreme salinities. The cumulative mortalities of the progenies of wild C. virginica from fou
Authors
D.A. Marshall, N.C. Coxe, Megan K. La Peyre, W.C. Walton, F. Scott Rikard, J. Beseres Pollack, M.A. Kelly, J.F. La Peyre
Freshwater inflow and responses from estuaries across a climatic gradient: An assessment of northwestern Gulf of Mexico estuaries based on stable isotopes
Estuaries exist across a large climatic gradient in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, capturing a range of hydrologic conditions and estuarine functioning. We examined freshwater inflow, salinity, and stable isotope compositions (δ13C, δ15N) of oysters, suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM), and surface sediment organic matter (SSOM) from five estuaries across the hydrologic gradient. All fiv
Authors
D. A. Marshall, Megan K. La Peyre, Terrence A. Palmer, Gaël Guillou, Blair Sterba-Boatwright, Jennifer Beseres Pollack, B. Lebreton
Ecological engineering with oysters enhances coastal resilience efforts
Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to habitat loss, sea-level rise, and other climate change effects. Oyster-dominated eco-engineered reefs have been promoted as integral components of engineered habitats enhancing coastal resilience through provision of numerous ecological, morphological, and socio-economic services. However, the assessed ‘success’ of these eco-engineered oyster reefs remain
Authors
M. S. N. Chowdhury, Megan K. La Peyre, L. D. Coen, R. L. Morris, M. W. Luckenbach, T. Ysebaert, B. Walles, A. C. Smaal
Large-scale variation in wave attenuation of oyster reef living shorelines and the influence of inundation duration
One of the paramount goals of oyster reef living shorelines is to achieve sustained and adaptive coastal protection, which requires meeting ecological (i.e., develop a self-sustaining oyster population) and engineering (i.e., provide coastal defense) targets. In a large-scale comparison along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, the efficacy of various designs of oyster reef living s
Authors
R. L. Morris, Megan K. La Peyre, B. M. Webb, D. A. Marshall, D. M. Bilkovic, J. Cebrian, G. McClenachan, K. M. Kibler, L. J. Walters, D. Bushek, E. L. Sparks, N. A. Temple, J. A. Moody, K. Angstadt, J. Goff, M. K. Boswell, P. E. Sacks, S. E. Swearer
Dynamic Energy Budget modelling to predict eastern oyster growth, reproduction, and mortality under river management and climate change scenarios
Eastern oysters growing in deltaic Louisiana estuaries in the northern Gulf of Mexico must tolerate considerable salinity variation from natural climate variability (e.g., rainfall and stream run-off pushing isohalines offshore; tropical storms pushing isohalines inshore) and man-made diversions and siphons releasing freshwater from the Mississippi River. These salinity variations are predicted to
Authors
Romain Lavaud, Megan La Peyre, Justic Dubravko, Jerome F. La Peyre
Habitat suitability index model improvement recommendations
As part of the model improvement effort for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan, the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models used during previous master plans were reevaluated to assess how the model relationships could be improved, and to determine what species should be included in the master plan analyses. This process considered the technical reviews, comments, and suggested improvements provided by m
Authors
Shaye E. Sable, David C. Lindquist, Laura D'Acunto, Ann Hijuelos, Megan K. LaPeyre, Ann M. O'Connell, Elizabeth M. Robinson
Modeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
Self-organization is a process of establishing and reinforcing local structures through feedbacks between internal population dynamics and external factors. In reef-building systems, substrate is collectively engineered by individuals that also occupy it and compete for space. Reefs are constrained spatially by the physical environment, and by mortality, which reduces production but exposes substr
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Mitchell Eaton, Romain Lavaud, R. Wilson Laney, Don DeAngelis, William E. Pine, Megan K. LaPeyre, Julien Martin, Peter C Frederick, Hongqing Wang, Michael R. Lowe, Fred Johnson, Edward V. Camp, Rua Mordecai
Effects of inundation duration on southeastern Louisiana oyster reefs
Understanding the effects of predicted rising sea levels, combined with changes in precipitation and freshwater inflow on key estuarine ecosystem engineers such as the eastern oyster would provide critical information to inform restoration design and predictive models. Using oyster ladders with shell bags placed at three heights to capture a range of inundation levels, oyster growth of naturally r
Authors
Danielle A. Marshall, Megan La Peyre
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 87
Defining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) creates highly productive habitats in coastal areas, providing support for many important species of fish and wildlife. Despite the importance and documented loss of SAV across fresh to marine habitats globally, we lack consistent baseline data on estuarine SAV resources, particularly in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) estuaries. To understand SAV distribution
Authors
K. E. DeMarco, E. R. Hillmann, J. A. Nyman, Brady Couvillion, Megan K. La Peyre
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group monitoring and adaptive management strategy (LA TIG MAM Strategy)
The purpose of the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Strategy is to outline an approach for the LA TIG to prioritize MAM activities in Louisiana for effective and efficient evaluation of the restoration of resources injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Working from the Restoration Goals and Restoration Approaches outlined in the P
Divergence in salinity tolerance of northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oysters under field and laboratory exposure
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a foundation species within US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) estuaries that has experienced substantial population declines. As changes from management and climate are expected to continue to impact estuarine salinity, understanding how local oyster populations might respond and identifying populations with adaptations to more extreme changes in salinity could
Authors
D.A. Marshall, S.M. Casas, W.C. Walton, F.S. Rikard, T.A. Palmer, N. Breaux, Megan K. La Peyre, J.B. Pollack, M.A. Kelly, J.F. LaPeyre
Oyster model inventory: Identifying critical data and modeling approaches to support restoration of oyster reefs in coastal U.S. Gulf of Mexico waters
Executive SummaryAlong the coast of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) plays important ecological and economic roles. Commercial landings from this region account for more than 50 percent of all U.S. landings; these oyster reefs also provide varied ecosystem services, including nursery habitat for many fish and macroinvertebrate species, shoreline protection, and w
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, Danielle A. Marshall, Shaye E. Sable
Tolerance of northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oysters to chronic warming at extreme salinities
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, provides critical ecosystem services and supports valuable fishery and aquaculture industries in northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) subtropical estuaries where it is grown subtidally. Its upper critical thermal limit is not well defined, especially when combined with extreme salinities. The cumulative mortalities of the progenies of wild C. virginica from fou
Authors
D.A. Marshall, N.C. Coxe, Megan K. La Peyre, W.C. Walton, F. Scott Rikard, J. Beseres Pollack, M.A. Kelly, J.F. La Peyre
Freshwater inflow and responses from estuaries across a climatic gradient: An assessment of northwestern Gulf of Mexico estuaries based on stable isotopes
Estuaries exist across a large climatic gradient in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, capturing a range of hydrologic conditions and estuarine functioning. We examined freshwater inflow, salinity, and stable isotope compositions (δ13C, δ15N) of oysters, suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM), and surface sediment organic matter (SSOM) from five estuaries across the hydrologic gradient. All fiv
Authors
D. A. Marshall, Megan K. La Peyre, Terrence A. Palmer, Gaël Guillou, Blair Sterba-Boatwright, Jennifer Beseres Pollack, B. Lebreton
Ecological engineering with oysters enhances coastal resilience efforts
Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to habitat loss, sea-level rise, and other climate change effects. Oyster-dominated eco-engineered reefs have been promoted as integral components of engineered habitats enhancing coastal resilience through provision of numerous ecological, morphological, and socio-economic services. However, the assessed ‘success’ of these eco-engineered oyster reefs remain
Authors
M. S. N. Chowdhury, Megan K. La Peyre, L. D. Coen, R. L. Morris, M. W. Luckenbach, T. Ysebaert, B. Walles, A. C. Smaal
Large-scale variation in wave attenuation of oyster reef living shorelines and the influence of inundation duration
One of the paramount goals of oyster reef living shorelines is to achieve sustained and adaptive coastal protection, which requires meeting ecological (i.e., develop a self-sustaining oyster population) and engineering (i.e., provide coastal defense) targets. In a large-scale comparison along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, the efficacy of various designs of oyster reef living s
Authors
R. L. Morris, Megan K. La Peyre, B. M. Webb, D. A. Marshall, D. M. Bilkovic, J. Cebrian, G. McClenachan, K. M. Kibler, L. J. Walters, D. Bushek, E. L. Sparks, N. A. Temple, J. A. Moody, K. Angstadt, J. Goff, M. K. Boswell, P. E. Sacks, S. E. Swearer
Dynamic Energy Budget modelling to predict eastern oyster growth, reproduction, and mortality under river management and climate change scenarios
Eastern oysters growing in deltaic Louisiana estuaries in the northern Gulf of Mexico must tolerate considerable salinity variation from natural climate variability (e.g., rainfall and stream run-off pushing isohalines offshore; tropical storms pushing isohalines inshore) and man-made diversions and siphons releasing freshwater from the Mississippi River. These salinity variations are predicted to
Authors
Romain Lavaud, Megan La Peyre, Justic Dubravko, Jerome F. La Peyre
Habitat suitability index model improvement recommendations
As part of the model improvement effort for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan, the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models used during previous master plans were reevaluated to assess how the model relationships could be improved, and to determine what species should be included in the master plan analyses. This process considered the technical reviews, comments, and suggested improvements provided by m
Authors
Shaye E. Sable, David C. Lindquist, Laura D'Acunto, Ann Hijuelos, Megan K. LaPeyre, Ann M. O'Connell, Elizabeth M. Robinson
Modeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
Self-organization is a process of establishing and reinforcing local structures through feedbacks between internal population dynamics and external factors. In reef-building systems, substrate is collectively engineered by individuals that also occupy it and compete for space. Reefs are constrained spatially by the physical environment, and by mortality, which reduces production but exposes substr
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Mitchell Eaton, Romain Lavaud, R. Wilson Laney, Don DeAngelis, William E. Pine, Megan K. LaPeyre, Julien Martin, Peter C Frederick, Hongqing Wang, Michael R. Lowe, Fred Johnson, Edward V. Camp, Rua Mordecai
Effects of inundation duration on southeastern Louisiana oyster reefs
Understanding the effects of predicted rising sea levels, combined with changes in precipitation and freshwater inflow on key estuarine ecosystem engineers such as the eastern oyster would provide critical information to inform restoration design and predictive models. Using oyster ladders with shell bags placed at three heights to capture a range of inundation levels, oyster growth of naturally r
Authors
Danielle A. Marshall, Megan La Peyre