Periodic catastrophes over human evolutionary history are necessary to explain the forager population paradox
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America • Vol/Iss. 116(26) • PNAS • • Published In • Pages: 12758-12766 •
By Gurven, Michael D., Davison, Raziel J.
Hypothesis
Through altering mean vital rates (both fertility and mortality) it would be possible to adjust the current rapid growth of contemporary human forager groups to achieve ZPG (zero population growth) p. 12761.
Note
Fertility would have to be below four births for most populations, unusually low for natural fertility populations without prevalent sterility. Mortality would have to be increased substantially (by 68% yielding e0 = 22, on average, and e0 < 20 for fast-growing populations), well below that of any observed human population, past or present. p. 12761
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN | Not Supported | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Population Growth | Dependent | Population |
| Mean vital rates (fertility/mortality) | Independent | Birth Statistics, Mortality |