Among the fishes, most, like the salmon, are r-selected. Some species will even inadvertently eat their own young if they are not immediately dispersed, but a few species, such as the cichlids, are K-selected and provide prolonged care and protection of the eggs and hatchlings.
Pacific salmon are also semelparous. They are born in large numbers, reproduce only once before dying, grow quickly, suffer high mortality, live fairly short lives, and are extremely fecund. They are a classic example of an r-selected species (Hayden 1981).
R-selected organisms, those emphasizing a fast growth rate, high number of offspring, include rabbits, bacteria, salmon, plants such as weeds and grasses, etc. The strategy for R-selected organisms includes producing a lot of offspring, producing them often, and having a relatively short lifespan.
What is the difference between an R and K-selected species?
Rabbits are an r-selected species characterized by their small size and rapid reproduction rate. K-selected species reproduce at a slower rate but utilize the environment’s carrying capacity more efficiently. Sea turtles are a r and K spectrum species.
The favorite answer is Neither K or r selection is necessarily better; both have advantages and disadvantages. Keep in mind though that a lot of organisms lie between these two and that r/K selection theory has fallen a bit out of favor over the last few decades.
These trade-offs relate to the r/K selectiontheory of life history strategies. A mouse produces a large litter. A whale tends for a single calf. R-selection: On one extreme are the species that are highly r-selected. R is for reproduction.
What kind of fish is red salmon?
Often called Red Salmon, they have a dark, fatty meat and are a favorite of glitzy restaurants and famous chefs all around the world. Not to mention hundreds of grizzly bears waiting eagerly for the annual river run. Sockeye Salmon live from Washington up along the Western Seaboard to Alaska.
Well, Masu and amago salmon occur only in Asia. There is one species of Atlantic salmon. Chinook/King salmon are the largest salmon and get up to 58 inches (1.5 meters) long and 126 pounds (57.2 kg). Pink salmon are the smallest at up to 30 inches (0.8 meters) long and 12 pounds (5.4 kg), although they average 3 to 5 pounds (1.3-2.3 kg).