r/K selection theory

English

Etymology

Coined by the American ecologists Robert H. MacArthur and E. O. Wilson in 1967. The choice of the letter K came from the German Kapazitätsgrenze (“capacity limit”), while r came from rate.

Noun

r/K selection theory (uncountable)

  1. (ecology) A theory regarding the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that represent a trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring.
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