Q. What is the difference between respiration by cutaneous respiration and diffusion? Does blood participate in cutaneous respiration?
Cutaneous respiration is not as simple as diffusion in diffusion the gases diffuse directly between the cells and the external environment, in cutaneous respiration molecular oxygen penetrates through the skin and it is collected by the blood circulation that then distributes the gas to the tissues.
Carbon dioxide is too collected from the tissues by the blood and taken to the skin to be eliminated to the environment. So there is vital participation of blood in cutaneous respiration.