Problem: I have a new situation: Molly and Brian are two friends who moved away from one another after becoming close in college. They still talk on the phone regularly and see each other a couple times a year. During a recent conversation, the subject of population comes up. Molly's town is currently increasing a steady decrease in population, and Brian's town has been seeing an increase in population. But I can use this background: Declines in population size can result in a loss of genetic diversity, and owing to genetic variation's role in the evolutionary potential of a species, this could in turn result in an observable Allee effect. As a species' population becomes smaller, its gene pool will be reduced in size as well. One possible outcome from this genetic bottleneck is a reduction in fitness of the species through the process of genetic drift, as well as inbreeding depression. This overall fitness decrease of a species is caused by an accumulation of deleterious mutations throughout the population. Genetic variation within a species could range from beneficial to detrimental. Nevertheless, in a smaller sized gene pool, there is a higher chance of a stochastic event in which deleterious alleles become fixed (genetic drift). While evolutionary theory states that expressed deleterious alleles should be purged through natural selection, purging would be most efficient only at eliminating alleles that are highly detrimental or harmful. Mildly deleterious alleles such as those that act later in life would be less likely to be removed by natural selection, and conversely, newly acquired beneficial mutations are more likely to be lost by random chance in smaller genetic pools than larger ones.Although the long-term population persistence of several species with low genetic variation has recently prompted debate on the generality of inbreeding depression, there are various empirical evidences for genetic Allee effects. One such case was observed in the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). The Florida panther experienced a genetic bottleneck in the early 1990s where the population was reduced to 25 adult individuals. This reduction in genetic diversity was correlated with defects that include lower sperm quality, abnormal testosterone levels, cowlicks, and kinked tails. In response, a genetic rescue plan was put in motion and several female pumas from Texas were introduced into the Florida population. This action quickly led... What is an answer for this question: Does Molly's town have a larger or smaller potential gene pool than Brian's?

A: smaller

Problem: I have a new situation: Mike was preparing for his chemistry exam. To see the chemistry concepts in practice he conducted two tests, test A and test B. In test A he used two liquid reactants evenly dispersed, but in test B he used one liquid reactant and one solid reactant. He was surprised to see that two tests had very different results. But I can use this background: Many reactions take place in solution or in the gas phase, where the reactants are evenly dispersed throughout a homogeneous mixture. However, for reactions in which one of the reactants is a pure solid or liquid (meaning that this reactant is not already mixed together with any other reactants), reactivity only occurs at the surface, where particles of the solid or liquid reactant come into contact with particles of the other reactants. All of the molecules or ions in the interior of the pure substance will not be colliding with the other necessary reactants, so they are not really contributing to the overall rate of the reaction. However, increasing the surface area will increase the frequency of potentially reactive collisions, because more reactant particles will be in contact with the other necessary reactants. What is an answer for this question: Which test would have higher rate of reaction, test A or test B?

A: test A

Problem: I have a new situation: Two space explorers are flying around through an unknown galaxy when they discover two new planets. Given that these planets have no names, the explorers decide to name them after themselves. The planet of Sarahn is currently going through a large geographic shift. Many of the continents on the planet are currently breaking apart and moving. Timon, however, has been a stable planet with no continental moving for quite awhile now. But I can use this background: At the end of the Proterozoic, the supercontinent Pannotia had broken apart into the smaller continents Laurentia, Baltica, Siberia and Gondwana. During periods when continents move apart, more oceanic crust is formed by volcanic activity. Because young volcanic crust is relatively hotter and less dense than old oceanic crust, the ocean floors rise during such periods. This causes the sea level to rise. Therefore, in the first half of the Paleozoic, large areas of the continents were below sea level.Early Paleozoic climates were warmer than today, but the end of the Ordovician saw a short ice age during which glaciers covered the south pole, where the huge continent Gondwana was situated. Traces of glaciation from this period are only found on former Gondwana. During the Late Ordovician ice age, a few mass extinctions took place, in which many brachiopods, trilobites, Bryozoa and corals disappeared. These marine species could probably not contend with the decreasing temperature of the sea water.The continents Laurentia and Baltica collided between 450 and 400 Ma, during the Caledonian Orogeny, to form Laurussia (also known as Euramerica). Traces of the mountain belt this collision caused can be found in Scandinavia, Scotland, and the northern Appalachians. In the Devonian period (416359 Ma) Gondwana and Siberia began to move towards Laurussia. The collision of Siberia with Laurussia caused the Uralian Orogeny, the collision of Gondwana with Laurussia is called the Variscan or Hercynian Orogeny in Europe or the Alleghenian Orogeny in North America. The latter phase took place during the Carboniferous period (359299 Ma) and resulted in the formation of the last supercontinent, Pangaea.By 180 Ma, Pangaea broke up into Laurasia and Gondwana. What is an answer for this question: Is the volcanic crust on Sarahn more or less dense than on Timon?

A: less

Problem: I have a new situation: Sarah and Lydia are two sisters that have been learning how to farm since they were kids. After graduating college, they both started their own farms and have been working on their own for several years now. At a family get together, Sarah mentions that her farm is experiencing soil salination. Lydia finishes swallowing her bite of cake and remarks that her farm has never experienced that before. But I can use this background: Soil piping is a particular form of soil erosion that occurs below the soil surface. It causes levee and dam failure, as well as sink hole formation. Turbulent flow removes soil starting at the mouth of the seep flow and the subsoil erosion advances up-gradient. The term sand boil is used to describe the appearance of the discharging end of an active soil pipe.Soil salination is the accumulation of free salts to such an extent that it leads to degradation of the agricultural value of soils and vegetation. Consequences include corrosion damage, reduced plant growth, erosion due to loss of plant cover and soil structure, and water quality problems due to sedimentation. Salination occurs due to a combination of natural and human-caused processes. Arid conditions favour salt accumulation. This is especially apparent when soil parent material is saline. Irrigation of arid lands is especially problematic. All irrigation water has some level of salinity. Irrigation, especially when it involves leakage from canals and overirrigation in the field, often raises the underlying water table. Rapid salination occurs when the land surface is within the capillary fringe of saline groundwater. Soil salinity control involves watertable control and flushing with higher levels of applied water in combination with tile drainage or another form of subsurface drainage. What is an answer for this question: Who has more free salts in the soil of their farm?

A:
Sarah