Table 1.

Characteristics of r/K-strategic species and of pioneer/mature communities [slightly modified from a table in Vadstein et al. (1993b)].

Species level:	r-strategists	K-strategists
Maximum growth rate	High	Low
Biomass at carrying capacity	Unstable	Stable
Effect of enrichment/instability	Rapid growth	Slow growth
Competitive ability at low substrate supply per capita	Poor	Good
Affinity to substrate	Low	High
Community level:	Pioneer	Mature
Biological control	Low	High
Stability to perturbations	Poor	Good
Diversity (species, biochemical)	Low	High
Niche width	Wide	Narrow
Specialisation	Low	High