There are many different kinds of plants and animals on the Earth, but only certain kinds are naturally found at any particular place. For example, a cactus is found in the desert, polar bears are found in the Arctic, and elephants are found in central Africa and India. It is because there are many different climates on the Earth, and different plants and animals have adapted to living in certain conditions. These conditions, such as the range of temperature and rainfall that occur on average in a particular place, are called the climate.
Some places are hot, some are cold, some are wet and some are dry.
Adaptation means that a plant or animal has acquired certain characteristics to enable it to live in one type of climate or another. Polar bears have heavy fur and fat under the skin to help them withstand the cold. They would have a difficulty trying to survive in a hot climate outside of a zoo. Plants and animals don't live in isolation, but in communities with other interdependent plants and animals called an ecological community. When you think about it for a moment, you realize that all of the plants and animals in a particular ecological community must be adapted to the same living conditions so that they can all live in the same place.