In a human population with a high proportion of prereproductive individuals, the population will:
A) continue to increase even if the fertility rate is at replacement levels.
B) decline even if the fertility rate is at replacement levels.
C) increase only if the fertility rate is above replacement levels.
D) decline only if the replacement level fertility rate changes.
E) reach ZPG sooner than with a low proportion of prereproductive individuals.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A high proportion of prereproductive individuals in a population indicates a large number of individuals who will enter their reproductive years in the future. Even if the fertility rate is at replacement level (each couple has just enough children to replace themselves), the population will continue to increase because the base population of potential parents is large. This is due to the momentum of population growth.

In a Human Population with a High Proportion of Prereproductive