Industrial Revolutions - Essay Example

Insert Factors affecting evolution of population Food Population of people continues to evolve in numbers across the world. This impacts pressure on fertile land, and other natural resources, vital in the supply of food while maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Read and LeBlanc indicate that scarcity of food will become more severe with greater growth of population, and eventually reduce reproductive health in people around the world, especially in the vulnerable populations of developing countries (63).

Contraception Contraceptive practices impact human fertility by limiting the odds of conception. There are different contraceptive methods; they vary significantly in their hypothetical and practical efficiency. According to Read and LeBlanc, current methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and oral pills have high proven effectiveness (63). These methods reduce the rate of fertility in human beings and limit the likelihood of conception during the period of their consistent use. Some contraceptives such as oral pills, according to Read and LeBlanc can impact the health of newborns, especially if they are used for birth control in extensive period of time (65).

Abortion Induced abortion limits fertility not by impacting fecundability but by flushing out the pregnancy. The practice has for long been the order of the day in populations and is fairly ordinary in less Christian societies (Read and LeBlanc 68). Read and LeBlanc aver that official statistics of the rates of abortion exceeds 30 percent in countries where the rates are high. Unfortunately, a fairly high number of unrecorded terminations of pregnancies probably take place even in nations reporting very insignificant figures (69).

This practice impacts the evolution of populations by denying the unborn an opportunity to live. Sterilization Complete cutting off of one’s ability to conceive or contribute toward conception impacts evolution of population. The surgical processes of vasectomy and tubal ligation in men and women respectively have become widespread in many countries and cultures. Sterilization denies the affected parties a chance to give birth to children of their own. Mortality High death rates among populations, perhaps due to poor health care, and nutrition programs can impact the evolution of population by increasing the likelihood of lower life expectancy.

But better health care programs will enhance life expectancy in a particular population. Infant mortality Infant mortality impacts evolution of population by determining the number of infants who will survive to maturity and those who die at birth or immediately after they are born. Improved hygiene and nutrition through access to better health care programs have been attributed to lower infant mortality rates. Read and LeBlanc predicted that this situation eventually leads to higher rate of population growth in the society (73).

Infanticide The deliberate elimination of newborns has long been documented in many cultures and societies across the world. According to Read and LeBlanc, the practice is mainly done for various reasons: child spacing, especially if an effective contraception is lacking; elimination of children parented by people sharing blood relations; deformed; orphaned, twins; or on grounds of sex preferences (66). Infanticide contributes to evolution of populations by leading to the elimination of infants deemed ‘illegitimate’ by members of family or society, thus allows the formation of a population in which only ‘legitimate’ persons exists.

Migration Migration refers to the movement and resettlement of populations in a different area or society. The movement may lead to a group of people adopting the cultural practices that are dominant in the new environment and as a result shake off their previous cultures. By so doing, they will eventually evolve and adopt a new way of life, which is different from their previous culture, thus achieve a cultural evolution in the long run.Spatial Spatial factors may impact evolution of a population.

In this case one population having the same features or genetic components is detached by a physical feature such as a mountain or a water body. If both populations stay in the different regions for many years spanning centuries, they may experience a genetic drift. Eventually, the genetic evolution may impact on their respective offspring having different qualities and cultures. Works CitedRead, Dwight W., and LeBlanc, Steven. A Population Growth, Carrying Capacity, and Conflict. Current Anthropology, 44.1 (2003): 59-85. Print.