The human species is K-strategist; that is, each mating pair has a small number of offspring, of which the majority will survive to adulthood and reach reproductive age. r-strategist species, such as some insects and most plants, have very large numbers of offspring, the majority of which will die before reaching physical maturity. If there is a change in their environment, more of these offspring may survive than is typical, leading to irruptive growth. Because K-strategist species have less offspring they are less likely to exhibit irruptive growth.