Human population dynamics

Time-series analysis of parish register series can be used to study human p opulation dynamics at three different le els: (i) The metapopulation of pre industrial rural England. A short wavelength, exogenous oscillation in the burials series of 404 parishes can be detected which, it is suggested, was driven by a cycle of trial nutrition associated with wheat prices. (ii) Ind ividual populations, where long-term endogenous oscillations in baptisms an d burials of wavelength 30-32 years or 43-44 years can be detected. Their c haracteristics and causes are explored and elucidated by matrix modelling. (iii) The separate neonatal, post-neonatal, child and adult mortalities in an individual population each show an exogenous short wavelength oscillatio n and a model is, presented to show how these cycles were driven by an osci llation in grain prices and how they interacted. Together, they formed the feedback in a saturated. density-dependent Population which was fundamental in controlling the characteristics of the longer wavelength endogenous osc illations in the Population dynamics described above.