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Types
Terrestrial environments exhibit a number of key differences from marine environments. Organisms on land are exposed to constant contact with air and therefore are vulnerable to water loss. Oxygen is more readily available, but in a gaseous form rather than a dissolved form.
Features
Plants have developed waxy cuticles or coverings to minimize water loss; because the waxy cuticle restricts gas exchange, plants have also developed microscopic pores called stomata to permit gas exchange. Plants have also developed vascular tissue to transport nutrients throughout the plant and specialized roots to extract nutrients from the soil.
Function
Animals have developed outer coverings, such as skin (in the case of vertebrates) or exsoskeletons (in the case of insects) to minimize water loss and protect against conditions in their external environments. Terrestrial animals use specialized organs such as lungs to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide as part of respiration. They have developed limbs, used by some only for locomotion, while others have the additional ability to manipulate objects in their environment.