Dictionary
r selection,
Ecol.
selection occurring when a population is far below the carrying capacity of an unstable environment: tends to favor individuals that reproduce early, quickly, and in large numbers so as to make use of ephemeral resources and ensure that at least some offspring survive.
Also,r-se•lec•tionPronunciation: (är'si-lek"shun). [key]Cf.
K selection. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.