3.2.4.5 Principles of Population Ecology and their Application to Human Populations Flashcards

1
Q

Malthus’ perspective on population growth

A

His 1798 population stated that a population could grow more quickly than its capacity to feed itself because:

  • populations can grow exponentially
  • food supply can only increase arithmetically

He therefore thought that when there are to many people to feed, population size would be corrected by events such as famine or war.

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2
Q

Issues with Malthus theory

A

It was based on an idea that the rate of growth in food production can’t increase - but it has actually been increasing rapidly since the 18th century due to technological advances.

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