Which group breathes by gills or through their body surface?

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Multiple Choice

Which group breathes by gills or through their body surface?

Respiration in many invertebrates hinges on how oxygen can move from the environment into tissues. Crustaceans are the group that best fits breathing by gills or through their body surface. Aquatic crustaceans typically have gills—feathery structures that maximize surface area to extract oxygen from water. Some crustaceans that live in damp or moist habitats can also exchange gases directly through a thin, moist body surface when gills are not used or are reduced. This combination of gill-based respiration and cutaneous respiration is characteristic of crustaceans, whereas insects rely on a tracheal system, arachnids on book lungs or tracheae, and mollusks primarily on gills with some terrestrial exceptions.

Respiration in many invertebrates hinges on how oxygen can move from the environment into tissues. Crustaceans are the group that best fits breathing by gills or through their body surface. Aquatic crustaceans typically have gills—feathery structures that maximize surface area to extract oxygen from water. Some crustaceans that live in damp or moist habitats can also exchange gases directly through a thin, moist body surface when gills are not used or are reduced. This combination of gill-based respiration and cutaneous respiration is characteristic of crustaceans, whereas insects rely on a tracheal system, arachnids on book lungs or tracheae, and mollusks primarily on gills with some terrestrial exceptions.

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