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r-selected species are those that emphasize high growth rates, typically exploit less-crowded ecological niches, and produce many offspring, each of which has a relatively low probability of surviving to adulthood (i.e., high r, low K). [10]
The African forest elephant is the smallest species of elephants. It is native to West Africa and the Congo Basin. It is one of two species of African elephants, the other being the African bush elephant. [13] Its trunk has two finger-like processes and contains about 40–60,000 muscles. [14]
An image of ecological succession, starting with pioneer species and ending with an old-growth forest that is dominated by climax species, which is denoted by VIII. Climax species, also called late seral , late-successional , K-selected or equilibrium species, are plant species that can germinate and grow with limited resources; e.g., they need ...
This type of curve is characteristic of species that produce a large number of offspring (known as r-selected species). This includes most marine invertebrates. For example, oysters produce millions of eggs, but most larvae die from predation or other causes; those that survive long enough to produce a hard shell live relatively long.
The arctic tern is K-selected, caring for and aggressively defending a small number of young. Parents feed them fish for a considerable time, and help them fly south to winter. Arctic terns are long-lived birds, with many reaching twenty years of age.
The African bush elephant is the largest extant species. Extant megaherbivores are keystone species in their environment. They defoliate the landscape and spread a greater number of seeds than other frugivores. Extant megaherbivores, like most large mammals, are K-selected species.
r-selected organisms are suited to life in an unstable environment, because they reproduce early and abundantly and allow for a low survival rate of offspring. K-selected organisms subsist near the carrying capacity of their environment (K), produce a relatively low number of offspring over a longer span of time, and have high parental ...
In order for species to thrive, they must choose what is best for them, leading to a clear distinction between r and K selected species. [20] The first variable is r (the intrinsic rate of natural increase in population size, density independent) and the second variable is K (the carrying capacity of a population, density dependent). [21]