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Cutaneous respiration, or cutaneous gas exchange (sometimes called skin breathing), [1] is a form of respiration in which gas exchange occurs across the skin or outer integument of an organism rather than gills or lungs. Cutaneous respiration may be the sole method of gas exchange, or may accompany other forms, such as ventilation.
Young amphibians generally undergo metamorphosis from an aquatic larval form with gills to an air-breathing adult form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory interface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin.
The majority of amphibians use cutaneous respiration, or the process of breathing through the skin. Due to the importance of the skin, amphibians are very sensitive to what goes through their permeable skin, the stratum corneum is the main skin barrier which is much thinner than other classes such as mammals or birds.
Image credits: girlfr0g They have adapted to surviving in extreme weather conditions. Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of ...
The ability to breathe through their skin is associated with increased capillary density in their skin. [12] This mode of breathing, similar to that employed by amphibians, is known as cutaneous respiration. [6] Another important adaptation that aids breathing while out of water is their enlarged gill chambers, where they retain a bubble of air.
Some species have bony plates embedded in the skin, a trait that appears to have evolved independently several times. [66] In certain other species, the skin at the top of the head is compacted and the connective tissue of the dermis is co-ossified with the bones of the skull . [67] [68] Camouflage is a common defensive mechanism in frogs.
Although it is common for amphibia to respire out of their skin, also known as cutaneous respiration, it was found that amphiuma primarily respire through their lungs, despite their aquatic lifestyle. [19] This is suggested by the high lung to respiratory capillary density compared to the relatively low skin to respiratory capillary density ...
The skin of salamanders, in common with other amphibians, is thin, permeable to water, serves as a respiratory membrane, and is well-supplied with glands. It has highly cornified outer layers, renewed periodically through a skin shedding process controlled by hormones from the pituitary and thyroid glands. During moulting, the skin initially ...