K-selection

noun

A theory involving natural selection based on quality.

OriginGerman Kapazitätsgrenze →
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Meanings

nounK-selection (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyA theory involving natural selection based on quality.

Origin

  1. GermanKapazitätsgrenze“capacity limit”
  2. EnglishK-selection

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”).

More words from German

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Cite this entry
APA

K-selection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-selection

MLA

“K-selection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-selection. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “K-selection,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-selection.

Source: K-selection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.