If most individuals in a population are young, why is the population likely to grow rapidly in the future?

Options

A. Many individuals will begin to reproduce soon
B. Death rates will be slow
C. Immigration and emigration can be ignored
D. All of these

Answer

To understand why a population with a majority of young individuals is likely to grow rapidly in the future, we can break down the reasoning into the following steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Age Distribution**:
- Populations can be categorized based on age groups: pre-reproductive (young individuals), reproductive (adults of childbearing age), and post-reproductive (older individuals).
- The age distribution of a population is crucial in predicting its growth potential.

2. **Identifying the Pre-Reproductive Group**:
- In this scenario, the question states that most individuals in the population are young, indicating a large proportion of the population belongs to the pre-reproductive age group.
- This group includes children and adolescents who have not yet reached reproductive maturity.

3. **Transition to Reproductive Age**:
- As time progresses, the pre-reproductive individuals will age and eventually enter the reproductive age group.
- This transition is significant because individuals in the reproductive age group are capable of contributing to the birth rate of the population.

4. **Impact on Population Growth**:
- Once these young individuals reach puberty and become sexually mature, they will start reproducing.
- The large number of individuals entering the reproductive phase will lead to an increase in the birth rate, thereby contributing to rapid population growth.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, a population with a high number of young individuals is likely to experience rapid growth in the future because many individuals will soon begin to reproduce as they reach reproductive maturity.

### Final Answer:
The population is likely to grow rapidly in the future because many individuals will begin to reproduce soon when they reach puberty.