An ecosystem has high

average temperatures and long summers. What

can you conclude about the plants and animals

that live there?

Animals and plants living in such an environment are well adapted to extremes. Mammals and reptiles are active only at night, for example. Burrowing can be a good defensive mechanism. Lizards bury themselves in the sand during the day. To keep cool, those organisms have developed mechanisms to encourage air circulation around their bodies and to dissipate heat. Plants have developed mechanisms to retain water or to survive with little water.