Human population

Chapter 8 - Environmental management

 changes in
population size With an organism that
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH: reproduces by splitting on
when the growth rate of a 2, you can easily see how
population increases rapidly exponential growth occurs.
over time
In nature is no so easy to see this pattern!
Example: Reindeer St. Matthew Island

29 reindeer released in 1944

6000 reindeer in the island in 1963

No predators on the island

they damaged the environment and

their food supply

After 1963 the population crashed

to 42 in 1966
Laboratory study for paramecium (unicelular org)
IDEAL CURVE FOR POPULATION GROWTH:

LAG PHASE: period of time in population

growth when an organism is adapting to
its new environment and growth is slow

LOG PHASE: When the growth rate of a

population increases rapidly over time.

STATIONARY PHASE:The growth has slowed

to zero, it is in equilibrium and has
reach the carrying capacity of the
environment.
Carrying capacity
The environment can only provide a limited amount of
resources such as food, shelter and nest sites. The carrying
capacity is the maximum population size of any species that
the environment can support without damage.

POPULATIONS ARE THEREFORE EXPECTED TO STOP GROWING AT SOME

POINT!

The consequences of exceeding the carrying capacity can be

devastating.
Birth rate and death rate
Birth rate: the total numbers of live birth over time

Death rate: The total numbers of death over time

Rate of natural increase: the birth rate minus the death

rate.

Ex: 2015 were being born 350.000 babies per day, and the
death rate was 150.000.

350000 - 150000 =200.000/day

73 million extra people per year

Birth rate and death rate
Rates of increase are often expressed as a percentage:
Factors affecting birth and death rates
● In countries with a high death rate for the very young
birth rate are also high.
● In agrarian economies of many less economically developed
countries (LEDCs) more people are needed for manual
labor, and so families tend to be larger.
● In more economically developed countries (MEDCs) it is
expensive to have children and pensions are provided by
the state.
● Many social and political factors result in low use of
birth control in LEDCs, whereas in MEDCs birth control is
widely used, so both rates are lower.
Migration
Movement of people into and out of an area. Change in the
population growth equation:

Population growth = (birth rate + immigration) -

(death rate + emigration)
push and pull factors
The most common form of
human movement, worldwide,
is from rural areas to urban
areas.
There are often more
problems in rural areas that
people want to move away
from (push factors) and a
perception that life will be
better in the city (pull
factors)
Some factors listed are directly environmental (drought,
sea level rise, weather events and desertification) or are
induced by environmental changes (famine).

In this way environmental problems can cause population

change, resulting in growth of the urban population as a
result of emigration.

In the future it is likely that climate change will lead

to dramatic changes in the environment and thus create
environmental migrants as a consequence.
 8.4 a) Suggest possible reasons for

Self assessment questions

the change in the population
between common era (CE) 1200 and CE
1400.

a) Calculate how many times bigger

the population was in CE 2000
compared to its size in CE
1800.
b) Explain why the population grew
so rapidly between CE1800 and
CE 2000.

8.5) List 2 pull and 2 push factors

that could lead to migration.

Year CE 8.6)Explain why the population of

an area may be declining even
Human population of the world over though the birth rate exceeds the
the last 2000 years death rate
human population distribution and density
The density of a population is worked out by dividing the
number of people living in a place by the area of that place
(it is an average value).

Across the world as a whole, the average density of humans

is about 50 km-2 of land (that is not counting the oceans).
The highest density for any country is Monaco, with nearly
26000 km-2,while the lowest is Greenland with 0.03 km-2 .
Population density in USA
and regions of Wyoming
distribution
The population distribution of an area is how the population
is spread over that area. Worldwide, there are vast areas,
such as mountains and deserts, where very few or no people
live. On the other hand on coast, especially where there is
a port or near sources of freshwater, populations are very
high.
human population density in the world
Self assessment questions
8.7) Explain the difference between population density and
population size.

8.8)Use the table to answer the following questions:

a) calculate the area in km2 of the USA.

b)Which country in the world has the lowest population?

8.9)Explain why Table 8.4 shows the world’s most populous

country but not the one with the most dense population.
population structure
The structure
describes how the
population is made
up in terms of age
and sex, and can be
displayed in a
diagram called a
population or age
pyramid.
Population pyramids 3 main categories
Each country will have different or unique population
pyramids. However, population pyramids will be defined as
the following: stationary, expansive (young
populations), or constrictive(old populations). These
types have been identified by the fertility and mortality
rates of a country.
"Stationary" pyramid

A pyramid can be described as

stationary if the percentages
of population (age and sex)
remains constant over time.
Stationary population is when a
population contains equal birth
rates and death rates.
"Expansive" pyramid

A population pyramid that is

very wide at the younger ages,
characteristic of countries with
high birth rate and low life
expectancy. The population is
said to be fast-growing, and the
size of each birth cohort gets
larger than the size of the
previous year.
"Constrictive" pyramid

A population pyramid that is

narrowed at the bottom. The
population is generally older on
average, as the country has long
life expectancy, a low death rate,
but also a low birth rate.
However, the percentage of younger population are extremely
low, this can cause issues with dependency ratio of the
population. This pyramid is more common when immigrants are
factored out. This is a typical pattern for a very developed
country, a high level of education, easy access to and
incentive to use birth control, good health care, and few
negative environmental factors.
Looking at a pyramid, from bottom to top, it can be divided
conveniently into 3 groups. The young, up to school age
(14-16), the middle aged (about 16-65) and the old (over 65.

In practical terms the young and old are dependent, whereas

the middle age are independent and working.
Self assessment questions
8.10) Explain the difference between dependant and
independant members of a population.

8.11)Draw a sketch to show the shape of a population pyramid

in a a)LEDC b)MEDC

8.12) Explain why a population pyramid is unlikely to be the

same on either sides if the central axis.

8. 13) Sketch the shape if a population pyramid for: a) a

country in which the population is expanding. b) a country
in which the population is stationary
managing human populations
FAMILY PLANNING is the strategy a couple uses to plan how
many and when to have children. Methods: contraception,also
includes sterilisation and abortion. Assisted reproductives
techniques. Governments can intervene in many ways, for
example providing free contraceptives to all couples.
managing human populations
IMPROVED HEALTH AND EDUCATION Education makes people more
aware of methods that can be used to limit family size. In
addition educated women may plan a career as well as having
children. Education cal also lead a tendency for later
marriage and thus later child bearing.

Health care, especially of young under the age of 5, tends

to reduce growth as well. When mortality is high the
response is for couples to have many children. When it is
reduced by better healthcare and sanitation the tends goes
the other way.
managing human populations
NATIONAL POPULATION POLICIES

PRONATALIST POLICIES:in countries where the population is

declining parents are paid to have more children. They also
enjoy subsidised train fares,day-care and pay less taxes.

ANTINATALIST POLICIES: in countries with increasing

population (LEDCs). Provision of family planning,
contraceptives, education. Some have laws encouraging people
to only have one kid.