• A lake is a type of aquatic ecosystemBuena Vista Images/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Ecosystems are habitats where various plants and animals dwell. Some ecosystems exist in warm climates, such as deserts, while others are bodies of water, such as oceans or ponds. The animals and plants that live in different ecosystems have made adaptations that allow them to survive their environment.
  
  

Desert

• Plants in deserts are able to grow because of adaptations that allow them to collect and store water. They also have developed features that reduce water loss, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden's website. The Saguaro Cactus, native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert, stores water in its stem that keeps the plant alive until between rains. Desert animals adapted to the intense heat and lack of water in desert ecosystems. Some animals, like the spadefoot toad, live underground for nine months of the year avoiding the hot sun and dry sand. The fennec fox, hunts at night; the sociable animal mates for life and females give birth to litters of two to five young.
  
  

Tundra

• In the arctic tundra, plants and animals have made adaptations that allow them to survive frigid temperatures with snow, ice and wind. One adaptation that tundra plants have made is adopting a dark color, such as red. Dark colors absorb more heat from the sun. Among the plant species found in the tundra is a fungus and algae combination known as lichen. Lichens change color in the fall, just like leaves. They are a favorite food for Tundra animals including musk oxen and caribou. Tundra animals such as the musk ox have adapted to their environment by developing thick coats that keep out cold wind and water. Some species hibernate, or sleep throughout the winter months.
  
  

Aquatic

• Coral reef is a living organism that grows slowly -- 1 inch takes about 100 years to grow, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Pollution and fishing practices threaten coral reefs. Because coral reefs are home to more than a half-million species in the world's oceans, their survival is important to the survival of marine ecosystems as a whole. Among the animals that live in coral reefs are clown anemone fish and great barracuda. In freshwater ponds are plants such as cattails. The shallow water and even water temperature in a pond make it possible for plants to grow. By comparison, lakes are too deep for rooted plants to grow, except at the shoreline. Ponds and lakes are home to animals including lake trout, a popular catch for sport fishers.
  
  In freshwater ponds, you may find plants such as cattails. The shallow water and even water temperature in a pond makes it possible for plants to grow. By comparison, lakes are too deep for rooted plants to grow in, except at the shoreline. Ponds and lakes are home to animals including lake trout, a popular catch for sport fishers; the bullfrog, which can jump nine times its own body length; and the great white pelican--parenting duties are shared by the mother and father.
  
  

Taiga

• The taiga is a coniferous forest of evergreen trees that stretches across parts of Europe, Canada and Asia. Temperatures stay below freezing for six months out of the year. During the summer, the taiga teems with animal and plant life. Birds migrate to the taiga in the summer to feast on millions of insects. With respect to plant life, trees dominate a taiga landscape. Spruce, fir and hemlock trees thrive in the taiga. These evergreens do not lose their leaves in the fall and the leaves do not change color. Mammals and birds such as the moose, lynx and red-throated loon, call the taiga home. Moose are the largest members of the deer family and is a solid swimmer. The lynx is nocturnal and comes out at night to catch prey such as deer and rodents. Red-throated loons lay eggs in moss or vegetation; both parents help with incubation of the eggs and feeding of the young.