Final answer:
The elephant's reproductive strategy is that of a K-strategist, characterized by fewer offspring with substantial parental care and late maturity. This contrasts with r-strategists, which typically produce many offspring with little to no parental care.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reproductive life history of a female African elephant, which produces a single offspring at intervals of several years and cares for her young for an extended period before reproducing again, is referred to as a K-strategist life history strategy. This strategy is characterized by species that tend to live long, mature later in life, and provide long-term parental care to few offspring. Elephants are suited to stable environments and their populations tend to exist close to the carrying capacity of their habitat.
Life history strategies can vary widely among species. Some species may reproduce only once in their life (semelparity) while others, such as the elephant, reproduce multiple times (iteroparity). The concept of r- and K-selection has evolved over time with population biologists now incorporating a fuller range of ecological factors and demographic models to understand life history evolution.