Frogs absorb oxygen and soak up water via their permeable skin.
In the face of rapid climate change, many species are struggling to keep pace with the shifting environment. This is particularly true for amphibians, such as frogs, which have a unique adaptation that allows them to survive in various conditions.
Frogs have thin, porous skin covered in mucus glands, a specialized feature that enables them to breathe and drink through their skin. Oxygen from the air dissolves in the moisture on their skin and diffuses directly into the blood vessels just beneath the surface. Similarly, water can be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream, helping frogs stay hydrated even without drinking water orally. This adaptation is crucial, allowing gas exchange when their lungs are less effective or when they are underwater, and aiding in hydration, especially in moist environments.
A network of small blood vessels under the frog's skin absorbs oxygen directly from water or air, and carbon dioxide is driven out in a process called cutaneous respiration. Some frogs, like those living in Australian deserts, are adept at storing water during rainy seasons to survive for months or even years.
However, the permeability of frog skin makes them vulnerable to pollutants and climate change, exposing them to commercial chemical products and microplastics. Climate change could shrink frog habitats, particularly in the Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Amphibians tend to be one of the first groups to decline or disappear, often indicating a problem within the environment. Losing frogs can change the balance of an ecosystem due to their role in controlling insect populations and being prey for snakes and birds. The question of whether any particular species can adapt to climate change is a common one in climate change biology.
Time will tell if some frog species can adapt fast enough to a changing climate. The position of frogs on the food chain, as both predators and prey, makes their disappearance significant for ecosystem balance. Cutaneous respiration allows frogs to survive underwater and through long hibernations. Tadpoles, not yet equipped with developed gills, breathe in air from the surface to survive.
Frogs and other amphibians do not rely on lungs to breathe; they exchange oxygen and drink through their unique skin. Tadpoles create their own air bubbles to break water's surface tension when they're too small to do so directly. In a 2020 study, it was observed that tadpoles swim right below the surface, quickly suck in air, form a bubble, and then push the air bubble into their lungs.
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Frogs' unique ability to breathe and drink through their skin, a process known as cutaneous respiration, is crucial for their survival, particularly in a changing climate. However, the permeability of their skin makes them vulnerable to pollutants and climate change, which could shrink their habitats, especially in key regions like the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests.
