I was also curious. Wikipedia addresses the question:

> The theory was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was used as a heuristic device, but lost importance in the early 1990s, when it was criticized by several empirical studies.[5][6] A life-history paradigm has replaced the r/K selection paradigm, but continues to incorporate its important themes as a subset of life history theory.[7] Some scientists now prefer to use the terms fast versus slow life history as a replacement for, respectively, r versus K reproductive strategy.[8]