Kstrategisten

Kstrategisten (singular: K-strategist) is a term used in ecology to describe species that follow K-selection, a strategy aimed at thriving in stable environments with limited resources by investing in long-term survival rather than rapid reproduction. The term derives from carrying capacity, K, representing the maximum population size an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Key traits include late maturity, long lifespans, few offspring, substantial parental care, and high energy allocation to maintenance and offspring survival rather than prolific early reproduction. Population growth is slow and typically density-dependent, with individuals often being large-bodied and exploiting well-defended niches.

Examples include elephants, some whales, primates, and large birds such as albatrosses, as well as many long-lived plants in stable habitats. The classification is a simplification; many species exhibit intermediate or mixed strategies along a continuum between r- and K-selection.

History and interpretation: The framework was developed in the 1960s by MacArthur and Wilson and popularized by Pianka. In contemporary life-history theory, the r/K dichotomy is considered a simplified model of a spectrum of strategies shaped by trade-offs among reproduction, survival, and resource use.