[Q]: John was studying the characteristics of tropical forests. For that, he chose forests in Laos. To compare the forests in Laos with the temperate zone forests he chose forests in Ireland. He could clearly see that how they differed in important ways. Which forests would see higher rates of chemical weathering, Laos or Ireland? Hint: Tropical forests (rainforests) receive more insolation and rainfall over longer growing seasons than any other environment on earth. With these elevated temperatures, insolation and rainfall, biomass is extremely productive leading to the production of as much as 800 grams of carbon per square meter per year. Higher temperatures and larger amounts of water contribute to higher rates of chemical weathering. Increased rates of decomposition cause smaller amounts of fulvic acid to percolate and leach metals from the zone of active weathering. Thus, in stark contrast to soil in forests, tropical forests have little to no podzolization and therefore do not have marked visual and chemical contrasts with the soil layers. Instead, the mobile metals Mg, Fe and Al are precipitated as oxide minerals giving the soil a rusty red color.
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[A]: Laos

[Q]: Two sisters attended a wedding. Ann got very sick early on, after eating the appetizer. She was infected with norovirus and with hepatitis A. Bianca danced for a while then ate the main course and fell ill. She found out she was infected with Giardia and trichinella. Which sister didn't have parasites? Hint: Common foodborne viruses include norovirus and hepatitis A virus. Norovirus, which causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines, has been a recent issue on cruise ships, infecting hundreds of passengers and crew on certain voyages. Hepatitis A causes inflammation of the liver, which is treated with rest and diet changes. Parasites are tiny organisms that live inside another organism. Giardia is a parasite spread through water contaminated with the stools of people or animals who are infected. Food preparers who are infected with parasites can also contaminate food if they do not thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom and before handling food. Trichinella is a type of roundworm parasite. People may be infected with this parasite by consuming raw or undercooked pork or wild game.
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[A]: Ann

[Q]: John was sitting at point C near a railway track. Suddenly, he heard a train coming towards him from point A with constant sound of its horn. Eventually, it reached very close to him at point B. Then the train sped by him at point C where he was sitting, reaching point D after some time. Finally, it reached even farther from him at point E. At which point the horn would sound lower in pitch, point D or point E? Hint: Look at the police car in Figure below . The sound waves from its siren travel outward in all directions. Because the car is racing forward (toward the right), the sound waves get bunched up in front of the car and spread out behind it. As the car approaches the person on the right (position B), the sound waves get closer and closer together. In other words, they have a higher frequency. This makes the siren sound higher in pitch. After the car speeds by the person on the left (position A), the sound waves get more and more spread out, so they have a lower frequency. This makes the siren sound lower in pitch. A change in the frequency of sound waves, relative to a stationary listener, when the source of the sound waves is moving is called the Doppler effect . You've probably experienced the Doppler effect yourself. The next time a vehicle with a siren races by, listen for the change in pitch. For an online animation of the Doppler effect, go to the URL below.
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[A]: point E

[Q]: Two teams studied two types of animals: team A studied predators, while team B studied grazers. They learned a lot from this experience. Which team learned about keystone species? Hint: Predators play an important role in an ecosystem. For example, if they did not exist, then a single species could become dominant over others. Grazers on a grassland keep grass from growing out of control. Predators can be keystone species . These are species that can have a large effect on the balance of organisms in an ecosystem. For example, if all of the wolves are removed from a population, then the population of deer or rabbits may increase. If there are too many deer, then they may decrease the amount of plants or grasses in the ecosystem. Decreased levels of producers may then have a detrimental effect on the whole ecosystem. In this example, the wolves would be a keystone species.
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[A]:
team A