An environment is a collection of all the animals and plants in a specific area of land or water. Examples of environments are wetlands, deserts, grasslands, forests, and oceans. Scientists also refer to environments as ecosystems. Many people use the two terms interchangeably, for example, “desert environment” or “desert ecosystem.” Each environment has its own characteristics such as climate, soil or water make-up, and plant and animal life. Sometimes people just talk about “the environment.” They might say, “We need to help protect the environment.” What they mean is everything on Earth — the whole Earth environment.

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