Human Biology (Structure of the Reproductive System)

Question 1

What are the male gonads and their function?

Answer 1

The testicles, and is where the male gametes, spermatozoa (or sperm), are produced.

Question 2

What is the scrotum?

Answer 2

Skin-covered pouch that holds and supports the testes.

Question 3

What is a temperature requirement of production and development of sperm?

Answer 3

Should be around 2 degrees lower than normal body temperature.

Question 4

How do the testes move to regulate temperature?

Answer 4

Muscle fibers in the wall of the scrotum contract and relax to move the tests closer and further away from the body.

Question 5

What are the lobules in the testes filled with called?

Answer 5

Seminiferous tubules

Question 6

What is the function of seminiferous tubules? And where do they lead out to?

Answer 6

Lined with cells that produce the male gametes. Join into ducts, that leave the tests and enter the epididymis.

Question 7

What structures exist between the seminiferous tublues?

Answer 7

Interstitial cells.

Question 8

What are the male gametes called?

Answer 8

Spermatozoa (Sperm)

Question 9

What is the epididymis and its function?

Answer 9

A highly folded tubule that fits against the rear surface of each testis. Sperm from the testis enter the tubule of the epididymis where they are stored for up to a month while they mature.

Question 10

What is the acrosome? What does it do?

Answer 10

A fluid-filled vesicle at the tip of a sperm cell. In the fluid are enzymes, which break down the layer of cells surrounding the egg so that fertilisation can occur.

Question 11

What effect does the thin layer of cytoplasm around the sperm have?

Answer 11

Because there is so little cytoplasm, sperm have a short survival period and receive their nourishment from the semen in which they are suspended.

Question 12

Describe the structure of a sperm cell

Answer 12

Sperm is made up of a head, neck, middle and tail:
The head consists almost entirely of the nuclear material
There is a fluid-filled vesicle at the tip, called the acrosome.
*The neck lies between the head and the middle piece.
*The middle piece contains mitochondria, where respiration takes place to provide the sperm with energy for movement.
*The tail is capable of contractile motions to propel the cell forward.

Question 13

What are the 3 external genital organs at the exterior of the vagina?

Answer 13

• Labia Majora
• Labia Minora
• Clitoris

Question 14

What is the role of the vagina during reproduction and for childbirth?

Answer 14

The vagina receives the penis of the male during sexual intercourse and enlarges to form the birth canal during childbirth.

Question 15

What is the lower end of the uterus called and where does it lead to?

Answer 15

It is called the cervix and it leads to the vagina, a canal leading to the outside of the body.

Question 16

What is the wall of the uterus made of?

Answer 16

Smooth muscle, and a soft mucous membrane called the endometrium.

Question 17

What are the fimbriae?

Answer 17

finger-like projections that appear to just touch the surface of the ovary, that help to guide the egg into the uterine tube.

Question 18

What are the uterine tubes?

Answer 18

There are two uterine tubes (also called Fallopian tubes, or oviducts), one extending from each ovary. They carry the egg from an ovary to the uterus.

Question 19

What is the enclosing of a germ cell called?

Answer 19

A follicle.

Question 20

What is the Stroma?

Answer 20

Masses of connective tissue found inside the ovaries.

Question 21

What structures support the ovaries?

Answer 21

structures located in abdominal cavity supporting the ovaries are ligaments.

Question 22

What are the gametes produced by the female gonads?

Answer 22

Female gametes are the ova (or eggs)

Question 23

What are the primary sex gonads in females?

Answer 23

The two ovaries are the primary sexual organs, or gonads, of females.

Question 24

What is the role of the penis in reproduction?

Answer 24

The penis is used to transfer sperm from the male to the vagina of the female.

Question 25

What are sperm transported in, and what is this made of?

Answer 25

Sperm is transported in semen, which is a mixture of secretions from three glands – the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland and the bulbourethral gland.

Question 26

What is the urethra in males?

Answer 26

A duct which runs from the bladder, through the penis to the exterior. The urethra is responsible for transporting both urine and sperm.

Question 27

What is the function of the Vas Deferens?

Answer 27

Carries the sperm away from the testis towards to urethra.

Question 28

What structure continues from the tubule of the epididymis?

Answer 28

Vas Deferens

Question 29

What is the wall of the uterus made of?

Answer 29

Smooth muscle, anda soft mucous membrane called the endometrium.