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Question:

Which of the following is correct for r-selected species?

Small number of progeny with large size

Small number of progeny with small size

Large number of progeny with large size

Large number of progeny with small size

Solution:

r-selected species are the ones that are found in the sparsely crowded ecological niche to exploit it and aim at the production of a large number of small-sized progeny with lower survival rates due to the short gestation period and early attainment of maturity. k-selected species are characterized by exponential growth in population size till carrying capacity of the niche only. These species produce a small number of large-sized progeny and have longer gestation periods to allow proper embryological development. Therefore, the correct answer is option D.