What is R-selection and give a mammal trait associated with it?

• A. Producing few offspring with high parental investment; long development time.
• B. Producing many offspring with low parental investment; rapid reproduction; small-bodied mammals often show this.
• C. Long development times and complex social structures.
• D. Involving semelparity and single breeding event.

Answer: (B)

R-selection is a life-history strategy that emphasizes rapid population growth by producing many offspring with little parental care. This approach works best in environments that are unpredictable or short-lived, where the chance of offspring surviving is higher when many are produced quickly rather than investing heavily in a few. In mammals, this often shows up in small-bodied species that reach maturity quickly and have short generation times, allowing them to reproduce again soon after birth. So the trait associated with r-selection is producing many offspring with low parental investment and rapid reproduction, and small-bodied mammals commonly exhibit this pattern. The other options describe different life histories—fewer offspring with high parental care (K-selection), longer development and social complexity (also more K-like), or semelparity (rare in mammals and not a defining feature of r-selection).