r/K selection theory
r/K selection theory describes the way a species controls its number of offspring.
r-selection species produce many offspring. K-selected species focus on a few. Neither method is in itself superior, and they may occur in the same habitat; e.g., rodents (r-selection) and elephants (K-selection).
The theory was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, but several studies criticized it.[1][2] The study of life histories has replaced the r/K selection paradigm.[3]
The terminology of r/K-selection was coined by the ecologists Robert MacArthur and E.O. Wilson,[4] based on their work on island biogeography.[5] Study of the evolution of life history strategies actually has a longer history.[6]
R/K Selection Theory Media
A bald eagle, an individual of a typical K-strategist species. K-strategists have longer life expectancies, produce fewer offspring, and when young tend to be altricial requiring extensive care by parents.
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References
- ↑ Roff, Derek A.. Evolution of life histories: theory and analysis (1993)Springer. ISBN 978-0-412-02391-0.
- ↑ Stearns, Stephen C.. The evolution of life histories (1992)Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-857741-6.
- ↑ Reznick D; Bryant M.J. and Bashey F. 2002. r-and K-selection revisited: the role of population regulation in life-history evolution. Ecology, 83 (6): 1509–1520. [1] Archived 2017-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Pianka, E.R.. On r and K selection. American Naturalist 104 (940) (1970). p. 592–597. doi:10.1086/282697. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ↑ MacArthur, R.. The theory of island biogeography (1967)Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08836-5.
- ↑ For example: Margalef, R.. Mode of evolution of species in relation to their places in ecological succession. XVTH International Congress of Zoology (1959).