• Survivor-ship Curve: line that shows the survival rate of a cohort (group of same-aged individuals) in a pop. from birth to death

  • Faster drop in line = quicker die-off of individuals

  • Slower drop in line = longer avg. lifespan

Type I, II, and III

Type I (mostly K-selected)

• High survivorship early in life due to high parental care

• High survivorship in mid life due to large size & defensive behavior

• Rapid decrease in survivor-ship in late life as old age sets in

  • Ex: most mammals

Type II (in between r & K)

• Steadily decreasing survivor-ship throughout life

Type III (mostly r-selected)

• High mortality (low survivor-ship) early in life due to little to no parental care

• Few make it to midlife; slow, steady decline in survivor-ship in mid life

• Even fewer make it to adulthood; slow decline in survivor-ship in old age

• Ex: insects, fish, plants