salt is dangerous to land snails. it will rapidly kill them. however, some populations of aquatic, freshwater snail have adaptations that allow them to live in a mix of salt and fresh water. this allows them to live in different parts of a river system. a group of scientists monitored salt concentrations in the habitats of two frshwater snail populations. they recorded the salt level as follows (in ppt, parts per thousand)

location1 day 1: 0.1 ppt (morning), 0.0 ppt (afternoon), 0.1 ppt(evening)
location2 day 1: 0.3 ppt (morning), 0.5 ppt (afternoon), 0.2 ppt(evening)

in 3-5 sentences, describe in which population you'd expect to see more adaptations for salt water. make sure to also explain how such adaptations would become more common in this population.

1 answer

I would expect to see more adaptations for salt water in the freshwater snail population located at location 2, where salt levels ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 ppt. This higher salinity likely presents a greater challenge for the snails, favoring individuals with adaptations capable of coping with increased salt concentrations. Over time, natural selection would allow snails with these advantageous traits, such as enhanced osmoregulation or salt-excreting glands, to survive and reproduce more successfully than those without such adaptations. As a result, these traits would become more common in the population, leading to a greater overall fitness in saline environments.