r and K selection

Some species produce quality offspring; others go for quantity; the rest sit somewhere in between. At one extreme, r-strategists (eg dandelions and salmon) scatter myriad minute progeny, each of which is unlikely to survive, on wind and tide. At the other, K-strategists (whales and coco-de-mer palms) produce a few fat eggs, seeds or embryos and nurture them to maturity. Ks tend to grow bigger and live longer than rs and dominate them ecologically. But opportunistic, live-fast-die-young rs are adept at colonising fresh ground.

Dandelions shed many seeds and hope for the best.