Rudy Boonstra, University of Toronto

Latest papers

Early-life adversity and the role of habitat: Consequences for females growing up in a marginal environment.
Hormones and behavior · 2026 · first author
Impacts of reproductive state and social environment on glucocorticoid concentrations in female Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii).
Physiology & behavior · 2026
Assessing stress in a mammal from plasma and feces: A nutritional mismatch between the diet needed and the food -available.
General and comparative endocrinology · 2026 · first author

All 81 publications

Latest funding

Operations and Maintenance Support for Kluane Lake Research Station, Yukon
NSERC · 2017 · Co-investigator
$296,400
The Role of Stress in Natural Populations
NSERC · 2016 · Principal investigator
$306,000
The role of stress in natural populations
NSERC · 2016 · Principal investigator
$90,000

All 31 grants and awards

81 publications.

01

Early-life adversity and the role of habitat: Consequences for females growing up in a marginal environment.

Boonstra R, Castillo J, Bosson CO, Karels TJ, Dobson FS

Hormones and behavior2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105906 PMID: 41797116

02

Impacts of reproductive state and social environment on glucocorticoid concentrations in female Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii).

Stead SM, Edwards P, Boonstra R, Palme R, Mujjuzi E, Teichroeb JA

Physiology & behavior2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2026.115240 PMID: 41581583

03

Assessing stress in a mammal from plasma and feces: A nutritional mismatch between the diet needed and the food -available.

Boonstra R, Castillo J, Karels TJ, Dobson FS, Palme R, Bosson CO

General and comparative endocrinology2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114856 PMID: 41276192

04

Demographic mechanisms of snowshoe hare population cycles in Yukon, Canada.

Oli MK, Kenney AJ, Boonstra R, Boutin S, Murray DL, Jung TS, Hines JE, Krebs CJ

The Journal of animal ecology2026

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70169 PMID: 41263144

05

Population Dynamics and the Microbiome in a Wild Boreal Mammal: The Snowshoe Hare Cycle and Impacts of Diet, Season and Predation Risk.

Stothart MR, Lavergne S, McCaw L, Singh H, de Vega W, Amato K, Poissant J, Boonstra R

Molecular ecology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/mec.17629 PMID: 39698753

06

Population and community ecology: past progress and future directions.

Krebs CJ, Boutin S, Boonstra R

Integrative zoology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12863 PMID: 38956827

07

Social, not genetic, programming of development and stress physiology of a colonial seabird.

Lemonnier C, Schull Q, Stier A, Boonstra R, Delehanty B, Lefol E, Durand L, Pardonnet S, Robin JP, Criscuolo F, Bize P, Viblanc VA

Proceedings. Biological sciences2024

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0853 PMID: 39109968

08

Down-regulating the stress axis: Living in the present while preparing for the future.

Viblanc VA, Pardonnet S, Tamian A, McCaw LK, Dobson FS, Boonstra R

General and comparative endocrinology2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114541 PMID: 38685390

09

Population regulation and limitation-insights from lemming cycles: past, present and future.

Boonstra R

Proceedings. Biological sciences2024First author

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0660 PMID: 38835279

10

Investigation of the Link between Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Stress Biomarkers in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Bennett BJ, Aung MT, Boonstra R, Delehanty B, Houde M, Muir DCG, Fair PA, Gribble MO

Environmental science & technology2024

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06979 PMID: 38743562

Operations and Maintenance Support for Kluane Lake Research Station, Yukon

Co-investigatorNSERC2017Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Marshall, Shawn

$296,400

The Role of Stress in Natural Populations

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Boonstra, Rudy

$306,000

The role of stress in natural populations

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Discovery Grants Program - Northern Research Supplement

Principal investigators: Boonstra, Rudy

$90,000

Biotelemetry system for quantifying the non-consumptive effects of predators on prey

Co-investigatorNSERC2015Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Murray, Dennis

$147,544

Kluane Lake Research Station

Co-investigatorNSERC2012Major Resources Support Program - Infrastructure

Principal investigators: Marshall, Shawn

$70,000

Environmental chamber for studies on wild-caught mammals and birds

Co-investigatorNSERC2012Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Welch, Kenneth

$107,891

The role of stress in natural populations

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Boonstra, Rudy

$280,000

Real-time PCR thermal cycler for environmental response transcriptomics and epigenetics

Co-investigatorNSERC2011Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Campbell, Malcolm

$42,342

The role of stress in natural populations

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Northern Research Supplement

Principal investigators: Boonstra, Rudy

$75,000

Larger, safer, rigid-hull inflatable boat for year-round research on island ecology

Co-investigatorNSERC2010Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Zanette, Liana

$39,995

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Biology
Biological Sciences (Scarborough)
Biologie, chimie et géographie
Recherche et Collection
Biologie
Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program
Other

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Jocelyn Poissant

Veterinary Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Dominique Fauteux

Recherche et Collection

1 shared papers, latest 2018

Susanne Cote

Department of Anthropology and Archaeology

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Jeff Bowman

Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Hardeep Singh

Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Murray Humphries

Natural Resource Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Pascale Sicotte

Anthropology and Archaeology

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Dominique Berteaux

Biologie, chimie et géographie

1 shared papers, latest 2018

Dennis Murray

Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Write to this professor

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Applying for

Paper to mention

Subject: Prospective PhD student Dear Professor Boonstra, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Early-life adversity and the role of habitat: Consequences for females growing up in a marginal environment." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Rudy Boonstra

Latest papers

Latest funding

Early-life adversity and the role of habitat: Consequences for females growing up in a marginal environment.

Impacts of reproductive state and social environment on glucocorticoid concentrations in female Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii).

Assessing stress in a mammal from plasma and feces: A nutritional mismatch between the diet needed and the food -available.

Demographic mechanisms of snowshoe hare population cycles in Yukon, Canada.

Population Dynamics and the Microbiome in a Wild Boreal Mammal: The Snowshoe Hare Cycle and Impacts of Diet, Season and Predation Risk.

Population and community ecology: past progress and future directions.

Social, not genetic, programming of development and stress physiology of a colonial seabird.

Down-regulating the stress axis: Living in the present while preparing for the future.

Population regulation and limitation-insights from lemming cycles: past, present and future.

Investigation of the Link between Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Stress Biomarkers in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Operations and Maintenance Support for Kluane Lake Research Station, Yukon

The Role of Stress in Natural Populations

The role of stress in natural populations

Biotelemetry system for quantifying the non-consumptive effects of predators on prey

Kluane Lake Research Station

Environmental chamber for studies on wild-caught mammals and birds

The role of stress in natural populations

Real-time PCR thermal cycler for environmental response transcriptomics and epigenetics

The role of stress in natural populations

Larger, safer, rigid-hull inflatable boat for year-round research on island ecology

Frequent collaborators

Jocelyn Poissant

Dominique Fauteux

Susanne Cote

Gilles Gauthier

Jeff Bowman

Hardeep Singh

Murray Humphries

Eric Vander Wal

Pascale Sicotte

Dominique Berteaux

Dennis Murray