K-strategist Species

A K-strategist is a species adapted to stable, resource-limited environments through few offspring, large body size, slow growth, late maturity, long lifespan, and high parental investment, with population held near carrying capacity (K). The term comes from r/K selection theory (MacArthur and Wilson, 1967). Marine examples include whales, sharks, sea turtles, and many groundfish. Low reproductive output makes K-strategists slow to recover from depletion, so they are bycatch-sensitive and frequent conservation priorities under the Endangered Species Act and IUCN Red List. Real life histories sit on an r-to-K continuum rather than at two discrete poles.