BIO 220: Human Populations and Toxins

Human Populations and Toxins Student Name Institutional Affiliation Human Populations and Toxins United Kingdom India Population growth rate 0.51% 1.14% Birth rate 12 births/1,000 population 18.7 births/1,000 population Death rate 9.4 deaths/1,000 population 7.3 deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate 2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population Question 1 The population is increasing in the UK at a rate of 0.51% due to a high birth rate, lower birth rate, and immigration. The birthrate is 12 births/1,000 population while the death rate is 9.4 deaths/1,000 population. The effectiveness of the healthcare system ensures that child mortality is low. At the same time, more individuals reach old age due to the availability of medical cover. Hence, there are more individuals being born compared to those that are dying. Immigration to the UK is also responsible for the population increase. In search of a better life, more individuals from the rest of the European countries are moving to the UK. These economic migrants see the UK as a place for opportunities. The net migration rate is 2.5 migrants/1,000 population which demonstrates that more individuals are coming to the country. When immigrants come to the UK, they contribute to an increase in the population. In India, the population is increasing at a rate of 1.14%. The population growth can be attributed to the high birth rate and lower death rate. This means that more children are being born than the number of people dying. The high birth rate can be attributed to early marriages, universal marriage system and poverty. While the legal age for marriage is 18 years, girls continue to get into marriage at a tender age, which extends their reproduction age. Additionally, marriage in the country is considered to be sacred which makes more women get married early enough. Furthermore, poverty causes parents to bear more children in the hope of more income in the future. Low-income households continue to bear more children which have contributed to the population increase. Question 2 For both the UK and India, diseases decrease the population size. Diseases can lead to deaths which ultimately decreases the population. In the UK, the most common diseases include coronary heart disease, respiratory diseases like asthma, liver disease, stroke and cancer (Steel et al, 2018). These illnesses are common among older adults. These diseases have been accounting for the majority of deaths in the country. Furthermore, disease reduces the rate of reproduction. When individuals are unhealthy, they tend to reduce child-bearing which decreases birth rate. They prioritize on their health challenges which interferes with child-bearing. The burden placed on families due to diseases causes individuals to spend more on treatment. Such individuals avoid bearing more children as a method of minimizing expenses. Similarly, diseases have negative implica...