Is reproductive strategy of generalist species good strategy to avoid consequence for exceeding carrying capac

Question

Is reproductive strategy of generalist species always a good strategy to avoid consequences for exceeding carrying capacities?

Answer 1

I'm a little confused by your question...

A generalist species is a species that can thrive in various environments and doesn't require specific conditions to survive.

Reproductive strategies are usually split into two categories: r-selected and k-selected.  R-selected species produce many offspring with a low probability of survival (they rely on sheer numbers to keep the species going).  K-selected species invest heavily in their offspring - producing less young but with higher probabilities of survival.

So, being a generalist species would help avoid problems of exceeding carrying capacity because the young would be able to disperse to a different habitat and exploit a different niche there, but generalist species can have different reproductive strategies.  For example, both deer mice and coyotes are generalist species, but mice are r-selected species and coyotes are k-selected species.

As far as just reproductive strategies go, k-selected species are less likely to grossly exceed carrying capacity than r-selected species, but if carrying capacity is exceeded, nature can usually correct it with r-selected species faster than with k-selected species.

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Some Factors:

Predation - density dependent

Disease - density dependent

Food/water/shelter - density dependent

Weather and environmental catastrophes (floods, fires, etc.) - density independent

Carrying capacity affects a population:  

All living things need 5 things to survive - food, water, shelter, space, and air.  When a population reaches carrying capacity - it has reached a point where one or more of those things becomes a limiting factor (there isn't enough to support life of more individuals.  There may be enough space to accommodate more individuals, but if there is not enough food the population cannot continue to grow as individuals whose needs are not being met start to die or emigrate to a different area.  Or, there may be enough food, but there is not enough shelter, and those left without are far more easily caught by predators.)  Populations who exceed carrying capacity can damage the resources they need for survival which can result in lowering the carrying capacity for an area until the environment has had sufficient time to recover.)  The overall result is that a population will grow until it reaches carrying capacity, then it starts declining until it reaches a point at which there are no longer any limiting factors - then it will start to grow again.

As for the last question (or the first in your post) - I'm still confused because generalist species do not all have the same reproductive strategies, so I would answer as my best guess:

No, once carrying capacities are exceeded, there is very little to be done that can avoid the problem associated with it.  Generalist species can emigrate to new areas, but there are still consequences of exceeding the carrying capacity.  Reproductive strategies can help a population avoid exceeding capacity, but once it is exceeded, there is almost no way to avoid the consequences from it.

Sorry!  I wish you luck!