human population

• Human beings


  • Found over much of the earth's surface in a variety of environments
  • Have generally adapted their way of living to deal with the physical conditions they encounter
• This ability to rapidly adapt to varying environmental conditions has made it possible for us to survive in most regions of the world
• Most other animal and plant species are restricted to one or relatively few environments by their more limited adaptability
• How have humans adapted to their environments?

  1. Technology

  2. Climatic/Behaviours

  3. Genetic Change/Body types

  4. Acclimatisation
• Technology


  Used to enable people to survive in conditions which may otherwise prevent existence, as in the case of extreme cold or heat
• While humans have for the most part, adapted to their environment, with increasing levels of technology they have also had the opportunity to change their environments to better suit their requirements
• How humans adapt behaviours in extreme environmental conditions

  • Wearing protective clothing
  • Minimising outdoor activities at the hottest time of day
  • Growing crops that are best suited to the local climatic conditions
  • Constructing shelters
  • Engaging in recreational activities
• People living at high altitudes

  • Have a greater lung capacity than those nearer sea level
• People living in Arctic environments


  • Tend to be smaller or shorter, to avoid heat loss from their bodies as much as possible, compared with taller, leaner people in tropical environments
• Acclimatisation


  A response to an immediate change in the environment
• Biological evolution


  Changes that take place over a longer time span, from generation to generation
• As humans grew in number, their impact on the environment became more noticeable than the impact of the environment on them
• Biotic factors


  Living things within an ecosystem
• Abiotic factors


  Non-living components of an ecosystem
• The way these components (biotic and abiotic factors) interact is critical in an ecosystem
• Population Distribution


  The pattern of where people live, how people are spread across a specific area
• Abiotic factors that impact population distribution and activities


  • Meteorological (temperature, precipitation, winds, sunlight, humidity)
  • Soil (pH, nutrient availability)
  • Water (pH, salinity)
• These abiotic factors play a part in determining the location of human settlements
• Biotic factors


  Able to grow and develop, respond to stimuli, contain DNA, be able to reproduce and requires energy
• Biotic factors that impact population distribution and activities


  • Predation
  • Diseases
  • Parasites
• These biotic factors play a role in population distribution and where humans engage in particular activities