To solve this problem, we can use the exponential growth formula:
Nt = N0 × (1 + r)^t
where Nt is the population at time t, N0 is the initial population, r is the growth rate, and t is the time.
In this case, N0 = 46, r = 0.056 (since the growth rate is given as a percentage, we need to divide by 100 to get the decimal equivalent), and we want to find t when Nt = 150. So we can plug in these values and solve for t:
150 = 46 × (1 + 0.056)^t
Divide both sides by 46:
150/46 = (1 + 0.056)^t
Take the natural log of both sides:
ln(150/46) = t × ln(1 + 0.056)
Solve for t:
t = ln(150/46) / ln(1 + 0.056) ≈ 8.6 years
Therefore, it will take approximately 8.6 years for the wolf population to reach 150 individuals.