Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

r/k selection theory

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.27 in modern English

Syllables
r/k s-e-lec-tion the-o-ry
IPA
29
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
6
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

Uncountable

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: Kapazitätsgrenze

Usage

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

What does r/k selection theory mean?
A theory regarding the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that represent a trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring.
Where does r/k selection theory come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce r/k selection theory

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