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MODULE 2 2
PEOPLE AND THE EARTH Weeks

Introduction
Humans became the most numerous vertebrae species on earth and widely
distributed and have the biggest environmental impact than any other species. Now
a days it become the biggest cause of resources depletion and environmental
degradation. And this fears leads world leaders to come up with programs which
to reduce fertility rates and eventually stabilize the total number of humans.
Whether human populations continues to grow, the biggest question now is
the implications of this growth for environmental quality and human life.
This module consists of two lessons namely: Lesson
1: Population distribution and growth
Lesson 2: Human population challenges and issues
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
• Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.
• Completed within the allocated time.

Module Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Understand the role of the people in the development of the environ-
ment.
2. Discuss the impact of the people to the environment.
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Lesson 1
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION & GROWTH

WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 4

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the carrying capacity, characteris-
tics and population age distribution.
2. Discuss and understand what is overpopu-
lation and its impact to the environment.

Explore
Investigate our Environment
1. Research about the current number of people in your community. Gather
the pertinent information such as age structure, etc.
2. Create a population pyramid that shows a country with the largest number
of COVID 19 Death.

Read and Learn

Carrying capacity
- the number of individuals of a species
that can survive in that area over
time.
- four broad categories of factors that
determine the carrying capacity for a
population:
1. Availability of raw materials.
2. Availability of energy.
3. Accumulation of waste products and mean of disposal.
4. Interactions among organisms.
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Population Characteristics
Population
- a group of individuals of the same species inhabiting an area.
- characteristic of a population are:
1. Natality
2. Mortality
3. Sex ratio
4. Age distribution
5. Growth rates
6. Special distribution

Natality or Birth rate

- refers to the number of individuals added to the population through repro-
duction. It is the number of individuals born per one thousand individuals in the
population per year.
- it is expressed in this equation:

Where: B = natality rate

Nn/t = number of new individual added to
population time

Mortality or Death rate

- the number of deaths per year. It is usually
discussed in terms of the number of individuals who die
per one thousand individuals in the population per year.

Population Age Distribution

- the individuals of different age groups in a population.
- Bodenhelmer (1938) recognizes three ecological ages as:
Pre reproductive
Reproductive
Post reproductive
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Figure 7: Age Structure in Different Types of Population

Age structures can reveal a population’s health. Type I, with most individuals be-
low reproductive age, often indicates a growing population. Type II, with roughly
equal proportions of the population at each age level, indicates a stable popula-
tion. Type III, with more individuals at (or above!) reproductive age than young,
describes a declining population. (CK-12 Age-Sex structure of populations. Advanced
https://www.ck12.org/book/ck-12-biology-advanced-concepts/section/18.27/)

Biotic Potential
- the maximum reproductive power.
- Organisms with high biotic potential can recover more quickly from the
population declines than organisms with low biotic potential
- An organisms maximum ability to produce offspring’s in ideal conditions
Sex Ratio
- the number of males relative to the number of females in the population.
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QUICK CHECK!!!

What do you under-

stand by the popula-
tion growth and pop-
ulation explosion?
Explain.
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Lesson 2
HUMAN POPULATION ISSUES

WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 5

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the birth rate and death rate.
2. Differentiate immigration and emigration.
3. Determine the importance of population
organization.

Explore
Investigate our Environment
1. Express your own view regarding population.
2. Determine how the population affects the resources.

Read and Learn

Human Population Issues
Population Growth Curve
- Sex ratios and age distribution directly affect the rate of reproduction
within a population. Each species has the ability to produce an offspring or
the biotic potential.
- Population growth follows a particular pattern, consisting of a lag phase, ex-
ponential growth phase and stable equilibrium phase.
- A typical population growth curve
S-shaped growth curve
- when a species is introduced into a new habitat, population grows
exponentially until the individuals become numerous.
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Sigmoid curve is the further increase in their number by the environmental

resistance factors that the population growth declines until zero population growth
is reached.
J-shaped growth curve
- population increases whenever there is an increase in birth rate over
death rate.
Factors that form instability on population growth
1. Growth rate decreases as density increases. This is self-limiting or inverse
density-dependent type.
2. Growth rate is high until density become high and factors from outside of
the population become limiting. This is density independent type.
3. Growth rate is highest at intermediate density.
Causes of Population Growth
- Biological reason
The study of populations, their characteristics and what happens to
them is called demography. Demographers predict the future growth of a popula-
tion by looking at biological indicators like the birth rate and the death rate. The
most important determinant of the rate at which human populations grow is the
number of women in the population who are having children and the number of
which they will have. The total fertility rate is based on the number of children born
per woman per lifetime. A total fertility rate of 2.1 is known as the replace- ment
fertility because if the total fertility rate is 2.1, population growth is stabi- lize. If
the population is not growing and the number and the number of births is equal to
the number of death then it is zero population growth. The age structure of a
population has something to do with the rate of population growth. If the pop-
ulation has a large number of young people who are in the process of raising fam-
ilies or who will be raising families in the future, the population will continue to
increase even if the families will limit themselves to have only two children.
Factors Controlling Population Growth
1. Poverty in a country or state that lead to destruction.
2. Natural calamities that lead to the death of thousands of people.
3. Pandemic, Epidemic, Endemic diseases that can wipe a big number of
populations.
4. Wars causing many casualties.
5. Unnatural accidents like transportation accidents, fires etc.
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Factors that Help Population Growth

1. High production of food and better technologies.
2. Better medical facilities provided during birth and under five years age by
immunization.
Factors are grouped into three:
1. Geographic factors: Climate, soil, water, mineral resources, transporta-
tion etc.
2. Demographic factors: Birth rate (natality), death rate (mortality), sex ratio
3. Socio-economic factors: marriage, job availability, resources, etc.
In developed countries, population has started declining because of:
a. Better medical and family planning facilities
b. Low death and high birth rate
c. Educated people know the abuses of over population and
prefer to have a smaller size of family.
- Population and Standard of Living
It is the concept of identifying the cultures having different attitudes
and feelings about what is good and desirable. Like for example if the country is
modernized and highly developed compared to a less developed country. Standard
of living seems to be identified by the consumption of energy.
- Population Explosion-Family Welfare Program
Growth of Human Population
• Emigration—the number of individuals going out from a population to join an-
other population in a new community resulting in decrease of the original pop-
ulation.
• Immigration—the addition of new individuals to the population from other lo-
calities.
• Density dependent factors—an increase in population leading to competition
since individuals have identical requirements for food and space. Increase of
population will lead to food scarcity which lead to death due to starvation.
• Density independent factor—the interaction between population in a given area
which can lead to mutual benefits, to competition for resources or dependence
o one on the other.
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Consequences of population explosion:

• It can lead to the depletion of resources.
• Severe competition for food and shelter.
• Increase in psychological stress.
• Rapid pollution of environment.
• Large scale unemployment.
Measures to Control Over Population
• Educate the people about the abuses of overpopulation
• Provide free family planning aids.
• Motivate people to undergo birth control.
• Imposed legal restrictions or laws
Population Trends in the Philippines
Philippines is a Southeast Asian country situated in the western Pacific
Ocean with a total of 108.1 million population as stated in the 2019 data of World
Bank. As stated by the Philippines Statistic Authority population projection statis-
tics, the Philippine population would continue to grow, increasing from 76.5 mil-
lion, as of the latest population census conducted in May 2000, to 141.7 million in
2040, according to the Medium Series of the 2000 Census-based population
projections. This means that 65 million people would be added to the nation's
population between 2000 and 2040, which is a span of 40 years, even if the aver-
age annual growth rate is projected to drastically decline from 2.34 percent during
the 1990-2000 period to around 1.0 percent during the 2030-2040 period. The
population is projected to grow by 1.95 percent in the 2005-2010 period, from
85.3 million in 2005 to 94.0 million in 2010. The nation's population would also
become older as it is projected that child-bearing rate by women in the country will
continue to decline and the survival rates of all age groups will improve. In 2005,
the age group 0-14 accounted for 35.0 percent of the nation's total popula- tion. By
2010, this age group would comprise 33.0 percent and by 2040, 23.1 per- cent.
Meanwhile, 4.3 percent of the Filipinos would be 65 and over by year 2010, and by
year 2040, 9.7 percent of them would be in the same age group.
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SUMMARY
• Carrying capacity is the number of individuals of a species that can sur-
vive in that area over time.
• Population are group of individuals of the same species inhabiting an ar-
ea.
• Natality or Birth rate refers to the number of individuals added to the
population through reproduction.
• Mortality or Death rate are the number of deaths per year. It is usually
discussed in terms of the number of individuals who die per one thou-
sand individuals in the population per year.
• Population Growth Curve are the sex ratios and age distribution directly
affect the rate of reproduction within a population.
• Philippines have a population with a total of 108.1 million population as
stated in the 2019 data of World Bank.

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science. Cen-
cage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore. 2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental Sci-
ence. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
Philippine Statistic Authority. www.psa.gov.ph