Dr. Alfred Dufty has been teaching biology at Boise State University since 1988 and now also serves the University as the Associate Dean for the Graduate College. He earned an A.B. at Princeton University, and both his M.S. and Ph.D. at the State University of New York at Binghamton. The general focus of Dr. Dufty's research has been behavioral endocrinology and behavioral ecology, including stress physiology, avian brood parasitism, raptor migration, and phenotypic development. Aspects of his work are applicable to conservation biology, through exploration of the ecological and physiological responses of animals to environmental perturbation.
Articles
The Effects of Neonatal Handling on Adrenocortical Responsiveness, Morphological Development and Corticosterone Binding Globulin in Nestling American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) (with Buddy A. Whitman and Creagh W. Breuner), General and Comparative Endocrinology (2011)
Early developmental experiences play an important role in development of the adult phenotype. We investigated...
The Adrenocortical Stress Response in Three North American Accipiters During Fall Migration (with Heather M. Rogers, Marc J. Bechard, and Greg S. Kaltenecker), Journal of Raptor Research (2010)
The associations among corticosterone levels, energy stores, and stress are highly relevant to bird migration...
Effects of Small Increases in Corticosterone Levels on Morphology, Immune Function, and Feather Development (with Michael W. Butler and Lynda L. Leppert), Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (2010)
Stressors encountered during avian development may affect an individual’s phenotype, including immunocompetence, growth, and feather...
Nest Box Temperature and Hatching Success of American Kestrels Varies with Nest Box Orientation (with Michael W. Butler and Buddy A. Whitman), The Wilson Journal of Ornithology (2009)
We studied orientation-dependent differences in nest box microclimate and American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) reproductive parameters...
Intrafeather and Intraindividual Variation in the Stable-Hydrogen Isotope (δD) Content of Raptor Feathers (with Adam D. Smith and Kara Donohue), Condor (2008)
Stable-hydrogen isotope ratios (deuterium:protium; δD) in feathers enable researchers to evaluate patterns of avian movement...
Contributions to Books
The Development of the Behavioural Phenotype (with Etienne Danchin), Behavioural Ecology (2008)
Hormones and Variation in Life History Strategies of Migratory and Non-Migratory Birds (with Rebecca L. Holberton), Birds of Two Worlds: The Ecology and Evolution of Migration (2005)
In Birds of Two Worlds, Russell Greenberg and Peter Marra bring together the world's experts...
Proximate Mechanisms of Natal Dispersal: The Role of Body Condition and Hormones (with James R. Belthoff), Dispersal (2001)
Habitat fragmentation and global climate change are the two major environmental threats to the persistence...
Cowbird Brood Parasitism on a Little-Used Host: the Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts : Studies in the Conservation of North American Passerine Birds (2000)
Presentations
Effects of Elevated Corticosterone Levels on Morphology, Immune Function, and Feather Development, 4th North American Ornithological Conference (2006)
Stressors encountered during the normal developmental period may affect an individual’s phenotype, including immunocompetence, growth,...