Salt is notoriously dangerous to land snails; however, some populations of aquatic, freshwater snail have brackish (or a mix of salt and fresh water) water adaptations and live in different parts of a river system. A group of scientists monitored salt concentrations in the habitats of two freshwater snail populations located nearby and recorded the salt level as follows (in ppt, parts per thousand): Population 1 (Day 1): 0.1 ppt (morning), 0.0 ppt (afternoon), 0.1 ppt (evening) Population 2 (Day 1): 0.3 ppt (morning), 0.5 ppt (afternoon), 0.2 ppt (evening) In 3–5 sentences, 1) describe in which population you'd expect to see more adaptations for salt water and 2) explain how such adaptations would become more common in this population...

Based on the salt concentrations recorded, Population 2 would likely have more adaptations for salt water compared to Population 1. This is because Population 2 inhabits habitats with higher salt concentrations throughout the day, indicating they are exposed to saltier conditions more frequently. Over time, individuals in Population 2 with genetic traits that allow them to better tolerate or thrive in saltier water are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on these adaptations to future generations. This natural selection process would lead to an increase in the frequency of salt water adaptations in Population 2.

use simpler terms

Population 2 would have more adaptations for salt water because they live in habitats with higher salt levels. Snails that can handle salt better are more likely to survive and have babies in this environment. This means that over time, more and more snails in Population 2 will have features that help them live in saltier water.