Question

The Developing World and the Developed World

i) In what ways is human population ecology similar to and different from that of other organisms? Why is it difficult to determine a carrying capacity for humans?”

ii) How has the global human population changed from pre-historic times to 1800? From 1800 to the present? What is projected over the next 50 years?

iii) How does the World Bank classify countries in terms of economic categories?

iv) What are the environmental and social consequences of rapid population growth in rural developing countries? In urban areas?

v) Define crude birthrate (CBR) and crude death rate (CDR). Describe how these rates are used to calculate the percent rate of growth and the doubling time of a population.

vi) How do the current positions of the developed and developing nations differ in demographic transition?

Answer 1

1. humans resemble growth rates of r-strategists (ie exponential and J shaped curve). we also have high levels of parental care and late reproductive rates. The human population is different than most populations of organisms (we are not confined to a small area) and We also have a unique ability to regulate our reproduction. the use fire, store our food, change our habitats to suit our needs.

2. Paleolithic (50,000-10,000 years ago) humans lived in small tribes as hunter‐gatherers that moved constantly. Predators, disease, and famine were common mortality factors

Neolithic Revolution (12,000 years ago): animal husbandry and agriculture produced abundant food.

(Reduced mortality + food = population growth)

The 17th and 18th century led to the birth of modern science and technology. Industrial Revolution during the 19th century, the development of manufacturing processes using fossil fuels and based on applications of scientific knowledge.

(Technology + Fossil Fuels = pollution and resource exploitation)

Green Revolution deals with the development and introduction of new varieties of wheat and rice that have increased yields but, increased erosion, soil and water pollution, loss of native plant varieties, pesticide resistance.

Medical Revolution lead to medical advancement and public sanitation advancement which inturn led to spectacular declines in mortality.

Environmental Revolution is the adaptation of humans to the rising deterioration of the environment. The Environmental Revolution should bring about sustainable interactions with the environment.

3. 4. High-income, Highly developed, industrialized countries

• 1.13 billion in 2010 - Includes US, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, countries of Western Europe & Scandinavia, Singapore, Taiwan, Israel, several Arab states.

Middle-income, Moderately developed countries

• 4.92 billion- Includes Latin America (Mexico, Central America, S. America), N. and S. Africa, China, Indonesia, southeastern Asian countries, Arab states, Eastern Europe, countries of former U.S.S.R.

Low-income, developing countries

• 0.8 million people in 2010-includes E. W. Central Africa, India, countries of S. Asia, few former Soviet republics

Developed Countries: The high-income industrialized countries

Developing Countries: Countries in which the gross domestic product is less than $936 per capita.

Prior to Industrial revolution, humans survived through subsistence agriculture (small, isolated relatively stable populations, this system was basically sustainable)

After WWII, modern medicines introduces (death rates fell, population boom)

Patterns Kept Rural People in Poverty:

Collectivization - gathering farmers into group farms. Originated within 20th-century communism.

Ownership by Wealthy few - common result of colonialism in the 19th/20th century. Can disrupt social order.

Intensifying Cultivation

introduction of more highly productive varieties of basic food grains in Green Revolution - usually done to increase cash crops (may or may not help local farmers)

5. Crude Birthrate (CBR): the number of births per 1,000 individuals per year.

Crude Death Rate (CDR): the number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.

CBR - CDR = Natural increase on population per 1000/year -

Natural decrease on population per 1000/year / 10 = percent increase (or decrease) in population per year

6. no one is in Phase 1,

but developing countries can be in phase II or III, while developed nations are in Phase IV.

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