What are some r-selected species?
Typical examples of r-species are mice, rabbits, weeds and bacteria, which have a lot of offspring, but a short life expectancy. Examples of organisms undergoing K-selection are tortoises, elephants, people, and sequoia trees: their offspring are few but long-lived.
What is R and K-selection of species?
R- and K-selection constrain the range of viable species through the colonization-competition tradeoff, with strong r-selection favoring colonizers and strong K-selection favoring competitors, but the level of disturbance also affects the success of species.
What characteristics are common to r-selected species?
These characteristics describe R-selected species perfectly:
- Rapid development.
- High reproductive rate.
- Early reproductive age.
- Small body size.
- One reproductive cycle.
- Short lifespan.
- Poor competitive ability.
- High mortality of offspring.
What is the difference between a K and R strategist species?
r-selection: On one extreme are the species that are highly r-selected. r is for reproduction. Such a species puts only a small investment of resources into each offspring, but produces many such low effort babies….r- and K-selection.
| Characteristic | r | K |
|---|---|---|
| Lifespan | short | long |
| Early mortality | high | low |
Why are r-selected species invasive?
R-selected species often grow quickly and mature rapidly. Combined with their explosive reproductive potential, their quick growth and maturation allow them to colonize disturbed and early successional habitats remarkably well. This is not to suggest that all r-selected species are invasive.
What is the difference between R strategist and K strategist?
The key difference between r strategist and K strategist is that the r strategist lives in unstable and unpredictable environments while the K strategist lives in more stable environment. Because of this environmental conditions, the r strategists produce many offspring while the K strategists produce few offsprings.
What are the characteristics of R strategists?
Among the traits that are thought to characterize r-selection are high fecundity, small body size, early maturity onset, short generation time, and the ability to disperse offspring widely. Organisms whose life history is subject to r-selection are often referred to as r-strategists or r-selected.
What is the difference between R and K strategies?
What is the difference between K strategist and R strategist?