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
Living on the edge: Multi-scale analyses of bird habitat use in coastal marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA
Coastal marsh loss, combined with expected sea-level rise, will cause inundation and extensive shifts to vegetation and salinity regimes that may affect the bird species dependent on coastal ecosystems worldwide. Within coastal marsh habitats, birds provide key targets for coastal management goals. However, limited information on bird-habitat relationships within coastal marshes inhibits the devel
Authors
Brett Patton, J. A. Nyman, Megan K. La Peyre
Using reproductive potential to assess oyster population sustainability
Ensuring that oysters remain sustainable in the face of significant coastal restoration activities, high local subsidence rates, and predicted sea-level rise requires a deeper understanding of basic population demographics, including reproductive potential. We quantified fecundity (eggs ind−1) of oysters at high- and low-salinity sites during a fall and spring spawn season. We assessed the relatio
Authors
Danielle A. Marshall, Samuel C. Moore, Malinda Sutor, Jerome F. La Peyre, Megan La Peyre
Gear comparison study for sampling nekton in Barataria Basin marshes
This project was funded by the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) to support decisions related to investments in long-term monitoring. The LA TIG seeks to ensure long-term monitoring informs coastal restoration activities with the goal of sustaining and improving fisheries impacted by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill. The project objective was to compare nekton catch across an es
Authors
Caleb Taylor, Megan K. La Peyre, Shaye Sable, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian
Understanding nekton use of estuarine habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Guidebook for natural resource managers and restoration practitioners
Without a comprehensive understanding of nekton use of key habitats across locations, natural resource managers and restoration practitioners in the northern Gulf of Mexico region lack a key tool to assist in their efforts to design, implement, and monitor effective coastal restoration and protection efforts in the decades to come. To address this need, Abt helped conduct a systematic literature r
Authors
T. A. Hollweg, M. C. Christman, K. Sauby, J. Cebrian, Megan La Peyre
Estuarine submerged aquatic vegetation habitat provides organic carbon storage across a shifting landscape
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) thrives across the estuarine salinity gradient providing valuable ecosystem services. Within the saline portion of estuaries, seagrass areas are frequently cited as hotspots for their role in capturing and retaining organic carbon (Corg). Non-seagrass SAV, located in the fresh to brackish estuarine areas, may also retain significant soil Corg, yet their role rema
Authors
E. R. Hillman, V. H. Rivera-Monroy, A. J. Nyman, Megan K. La Peyre
Eastern oyster clearance and respiration rates in response to acute and chronic exposure to suspended sediment loads
Coastal Louisiana supports some of the most productive areas for the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Changing conditions from restoration and climate change alter freshwater and sediment inflows into critical estuarine areas affecting water quality, including salinity and concentrations of suspended sediment. This study examined the effects of acute (1 h) and chronic (8 weeks) exposure of s
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, S. K. Bernasconi, R. Lavaud, S. M. Casas, J. F. La Peyre
Salinity and water clarity dictate seasonal variability in coastal submerged aquatic vegetation in subtropical estuarine environments
Spatial and temporal variability characterize submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) assemblages, but understanding the complex interactions of environmental drivers of SAV assemblages remains elusive. We documented SAV composition and biomass across a salinity gradient in a coastal estuary over 12 mo. Ten macrophyte species were identified. The dominant species, Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllu
Authors
Eva R. Hillmann, Kristin DeMarco, Megan K. La Peyre
Vulnerability of resource-users in Louisiana’s oyster fishery to environmental hazards
Knowledge of vulnerability provides the foundation for developing actions that minimize impacts on people while maximizing the sustainability of ecosystem goods and services. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important to determine how resource-dependent people are vulnerable to environmental hazards. This is particularly true in coastal Louisiana where the current era of rapid land loss ha
Authors
A. T. Humphries, L. Josephs, Megan K. LaPeyre, S. A. Hall, R.D. Beech
Differential effects of temperature and salinity on growth and mortality of oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in Barataria Bay and Breton Sound, Louisiana
Temperature and salinity and their interaction exert a major control on the life cycle of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), affecting reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Quantifying specific temperature and salinity relationships on oyster growth and mortality has however proven difficult, with data suggesting potentially region-specific responses. Legacy and recent data fr
Authors
T. Sehlinger, M.R. Lowe, Megan K. LaPeyre, T.M. Soniat
Oyster reefs in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries harbor diverse fish and decapod crustacean assemblages: A meta-synthesis
Oyster reefs provide habitat for numerous fish and decapod crustacean species that mediate ecosystem functioning and support vibrant fisheries. Recent focus on the restoration of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs stems from this role as a critical ecosystem engineer. Within the shallow estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM), the eastern oyster is the dominant reef building orga
Authors
Megan K. LaPeyre, D. A. Marshall, L. S. Miller, A. T. Humphries
The application of oyster reefs in shoreline protection: Are we over‐engineering for an ecosystem engineer?
Oyster reef living shorelines have been proposed as an effective alternative to traditional coastal defence structures (e.g. bulkheads, breakwaters), with the benefit that they may keep pace with sea‐level rise and provide co‐benefits, such as habitat provision. However, there remains uncertainty about the effectiveness of shoreline protection provided by oyster reefs, which limits their broader a
Authors
R. L. Morris, D. M. Bilkovic, M. K. Boswell, D. Bushek, J. Cebrian, Josh Goff, K. M. Kibler, Megan K. LaPeyre, G. McClenachan, J. A. Moody, P. E. Sacks, J.P. Shinn, E. L. Sparks, N. A. Temple, L. J. Walters, S. E. Swearer, B. M. Webb
Effects of salinity and light on growth and interspecific interactions between Myriophyllum spicatum L. and Ruppia maritima L.
Submerged macrophyte habitats provide significant benefits to estuarine systems. In southeast Louisiana, Myriophyllum spicatum L. (milfoil) and Ruppia maritima L. (widgeongrass) are dominant species existing across fresh to brackish areas. Though frequently co-occurring across the range of salinity and light conditions, their individual responses to changing environmental conditions from restorati
Authors
E. R. Hillman, Megan La Peyre
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 87
Living on the edge: Multi-scale analyses of bird habitat use in coastal marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA
Coastal marsh loss, combined with expected sea-level rise, will cause inundation and extensive shifts to vegetation and salinity regimes that may affect the bird species dependent on coastal ecosystems worldwide. Within coastal marsh habitats, birds provide key targets for coastal management goals. However, limited information on bird-habitat relationships within coastal marshes inhibits the devel
Authors
Brett Patton, J. A. Nyman, Megan K. La Peyre
Using reproductive potential to assess oyster population sustainability
Ensuring that oysters remain sustainable in the face of significant coastal restoration activities, high local subsidence rates, and predicted sea-level rise requires a deeper understanding of basic population demographics, including reproductive potential. We quantified fecundity (eggs ind−1) of oysters at high- and low-salinity sites during a fall and spring spawn season. We assessed the relatio
Authors
Danielle A. Marshall, Samuel C. Moore, Malinda Sutor, Jerome F. La Peyre, Megan La Peyre
Gear comparison study for sampling nekton in Barataria Basin marshes
This project was funded by the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) to support decisions related to investments in long-term monitoring. The LA TIG seeks to ensure long-term monitoring informs coastal restoration activities with the goal of sustaining and improving fisheries impacted by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill. The project objective was to compare nekton catch across an es
Authors
Caleb Taylor, Megan K. La Peyre, Shaye Sable, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian
Understanding nekton use of estuarine habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Guidebook for natural resource managers and restoration practitioners
Without a comprehensive understanding of nekton use of key habitats across locations, natural resource managers and restoration practitioners in the northern Gulf of Mexico region lack a key tool to assist in their efforts to design, implement, and monitor effective coastal restoration and protection efforts in the decades to come. To address this need, Abt helped conduct a systematic literature r
Authors
T. A. Hollweg, M. C. Christman, K. Sauby, J. Cebrian, Megan La Peyre
Estuarine submerged aquatic vegetation habitat provides organic carbon storage across a shifting landscape
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) thrives across the estuarine salinity gradient providing valuable ecosystem services. Within the saline portion of estuaries, seagrass areas are frequently cited as hotspots for their role in capturing and retaining organic carbon (Corg). Non-seagrass SAV, located in the fresh to brackish estuarine areas, may also retain significant soil Corg, yet their role rema
Authors
E. R. Hillman, V. H. Rivera-Monroy, A. J. Nyman, Megan K. La Peyre
Eastern oyster clearance and respiration rates in response to acute and chronic exposure to suspended sediment loads
Coastal Louisiana supports some of the most productive areas for the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Changing conditions from restoration and climate change alter freshwater and sediment inflows into critical estuarine areas affecting water quality, including salinity and concentrations of suspended sediment. This study examined the effects of acute (1 h) and chronic (8 weeks) exposure of s
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, S. K. Bernasconi, R. Lavaud, S. M. Casas, J. F. La Peyre
Salinity and water clarity dictate seasonal variability in coastal submerged aquatic vegetation in subtropical estuarine environments
Spatial and temporal variability characterize submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) assemblages, but understanding the complex interactions of environmental drivers of SAV assemblages remains elusive. We documented SAV composition and biomass across a salinity gradient in a coastal estuary over 12 mo. Ten macrophyte species were identified. The dominant species, Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllu
Authors
Eva R. Hillmann, Kristin DeMarco, Megan K. La Peyre
Vulnerability of resource-users in Louisiana’s oyster fishery to environmental hazards
Knowledge of vulnerability provides the foundation for developing actions that minimize impacts on people while maximizing the sustainability of ecosystem goods and services. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important to determine how resource-dependent people are vulnerable to environmental hazards. This is particularly true in coastal Louisiana where the current era of rapid land loss ha
Authors
A. T. Humphries, L. Josephs, Megan K. LaPeyre, S. A. Hall, R.D. Beech
Differential effects of temperature and salinity on growth and mortality of oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in Barataria Bay and Breton Sound, Louisiana
Temperature and salinity and their interaction exert a major control on the life cycle of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), affecting reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Quantifying specific temperature and salinity relationships on oyster growth and mortality has however proven difficult, with data suggesting potentially region-specific responses. Legacy and recent data fr
Authors
T. Sehlinger, M.R. Lowe, Megan K. LaPeyre, T.M. Soniat
Oyster reefs in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries harbor diverse fish and decapod crustacean assemblages: A meta-synthesis
Oyster reefs provide habitat for numerous fish and decapod crustacean species that mediate ecosystem functioning and support vibrant fisheries. Recent focus on the restoration of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs stems from this role as a critical ecosystem engineer. Within the shallow estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM), the eastern oyster is the dominant reef building orga
Authors
Megan K. LaPeyre, D. A. Marshall, L. S. Miller, A. T. Humphries
The application of oyster reefs in shoreline protection: Are we over‐engineering for an ecosystem engineer?
Oyster reef living shorelines have been proposed as an effective alternative to traditional coastal defence structures (e.g. bulkheads, breakwaters), with the benefit that they may keep pace with sea‐level rise and provide co‐benefits, such as habitat provision. However, there remains uncertainty about the effectiveness of shoreline protection provided by oyster reefs, which limits their broader a
Authors
R. L. Morris, D. M. Bilkovic, M. K. Boswell, D. Bushek, J. Cebrian, Josh Goff, K. M. Kibler, Megan K. LaPeyre, G. McClenachan, J. A. Moody, P. E. Sacks, J.P. Shinn, E. L. Sparks, N. A. Temple, L. J. Walters, S. E. Swearer, B. M. Webb
Effects of salinity and light on growth and interspecific interactions between Myriophyllum spicatum L. and Ruppia maritima L.
Submerged macrophyte habitats provide significant benefits to estuarine systems. In southeast Louisiana, Myriophyllum spicatum L. (milfoil) and Ruppia maritima L. (widgeongrass) are dominant species existing across fresh to brackish areas. Though frequently co-occurring across the range of salinity and light conditions, their individual responses to changing environmental conditions from restorati
Authors
E. R. Hillman, Megan La Peyre