Male Reproductive System

Question 1

What are the secondary sex characteristics in males?

Answer 1

broad shoulders, deep voice, increased muscle size and bone density, and increased hair

Question 2

What hormone is produced by the male reproductive system? What gland stimulates the production of this hormone and when?

Answer 2

testosterone- This begins during puberty in a male when the anterior pituitary gland secretes luteinizing hormone. Testosterone stimulates the sex drive and growth in males.

Question 3

What are the organs of the male reproductive system ?

Answer 3

the testes, the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate gland, bulbourethral glands, urethra and penis

Question 4

What are the male gonads? What is their purpose and where are they located ?

Answer 4

The testes produce sperm and testosterone and are suspended within the scrotum sac.

Question 5

What cells produce testosterone?

Answer 5

Interstitial cells located in the connective tissue of the testes

Question 6

What is the site of sperm production?

Answer 6

The seminiferous tubules located in the lobules of the testes

Question 7

Where do sperm mature after being produced? How long do they stay there?

Answer 7

In the epididymis. It takes about 20 days. Once mature, they remain until expelled to the outside of the body.

Question 8

How do the testes develop?

Answer 8

Their development begins inside the abdominal cavity but they descend into the scrotal sacs as development proceeds.

Question 9

What complication can result if the testes do not descend into the scrotal sacs? Why is this?

Answer 9

Sterility (the inability to produce offspring) results if the testes do not descend or the male does not receive hormone therapy or undergo surgery to place the testes in the scrotum.
Sperm production is inhibited at body temperature; a cooler temperature is required, hence the testes are inside the scrotum outside of the main body.

Question 10

What are the structures of the duct system in the male reproductive system?

Answer 10

The duct system contains the accessory organs of the male reproductive system,
-the epididymis,
-vas deferens (or ductus deferens)
- the urethra.
The duct system provides a place for sperm to mature and then sperm are expelled from the body at the appropriate time.

Question 11

What is the vas Deferens?

Answer 11

Once the sperm are mature, they are propelled into this structure by muscular contractions.
- The vas deferens travels superiorly though the inguinal canal and then turns posteriorly over the bladder and finally descends inferiorly to the base of the prostate gland where it connects with the duct of the seminal vesicle to form the ejaculatory duct.

Question 12

What does the ejaculatory duct connect with ? Why?

Answer 12

The urethra. So sperm can exit the body

Question 13

What is the spermatic cord?

Answer 13

The spermatic cord is the cord-like structure in males formed by the vas deferens (ductus deferens) and surrounding tissue that runs from the deep inguinal ring down to each testicle. The spermatic cord holds the scrotum in place.

Question 14

What is a vasectomy?

Answer 14

The cutting of the vas deferens which prevents sperm from exiting the body to fertilize an egg. This results in sterility although testosterone production unaffected.

Question 15

When sexually aroused, what action does the vas deferens take?

Answer 15

The smooth muscles of the vas deferens cotnract and sperm enter the uretha.

Question 16

The urethra has functions in which 2 body systems?

Answer 16

the male reproductive and urinary systems It functions to transport both sperm and urine to the outside of the body but only one of these functions can occur at a given time.

Question 17

What are the 3 regions of the urethra? Where does the urethra travel from?

Answer 17

prostatic urethra, membranous urethra, and spongy urethra.
-The prostatic urethra is surrounded by the prostate gland.
- The membranous urethra begins at the end of the prostatic urethra and travels to the penis.
-The spongy urethra runs through the penis and opens to the outside at the external orifice.
The urethra travels from the bladder through the penis.

Question 18

What structures in the penis enable it to become erect?

Answer 18

Spongy, erectile tissue containing distensible blood spaces extends through the shaft of the penis. During sexual arousal, nervous system reflexes cause an increase in arterial blood flow to the penis. This fills the blood spaces in the erectile tissue and enable erection.

Question 19

Two sections of the penis ….

Answer 19

the shaft is the cylindrical part of the penis and the glans penis is the enlarged end.

Question 20

Since sperm need to be produced at a temperature lower than body temperature, how does the scrotum, which holds the testes outside the body, adjust to outside temperature?

Answer 20

The skin of the scrotum can adjust to outside temperature, contracting when outside temperatures are cold, allowing the sperm to get some heat from the body and expanding when temperatures are warm to keep sperm away from the higher body temperature.

Question 21

What is semen? What glands contribute to its makeup?

Answer 21

A thick, whitish fluid that contains sperm and accessory gland secretions from the seminal vesicles, the prostate and the bulbourethral glands.

Question 22

What are the seminal vesicles?

Answer 22

An accessory gland that contributes to semen’s makeup.
The paired seminal vesicles lie at the base of the bladder where they each join with a vas deferens to form an ejaculatory duct that enters the urethra. As sperm pass from the vas deferens into the urethra, the seminal vesicles secrete a thick, viscous fluid containing nutrients (fructose, vitamin C, and prostaglandins (facilitates movement) for possible use by the sperm

Question 23

What are some components of semen?

Answer 23

Some of the components of the semen are fructose (fuel), prostaglandins (facilitates movement), relaxin (enhances motility), alkaline pH (protective and motility enhancement) and the antibiotic seminalplasmin (kills bacteria). About 200 to 500 million sperm are expelled from the penis into the vagina during ejaculation.

Question 24

What is the prostate gland? What problems can arise with the prostate in older men?

Answer 24

Just below the bladder is the prostate gland, which secretes a milky alkaline fluid believed to activate or increase the motility of the sperm. In older men, the prostate gland may become enlarged, thereby constricting the urethra and making urination slow or difficult.

Question 25

What are the bulbourethral glands?

Answer 25

They are accessory glands that secrete a lubricating mucus to clear the urethra of urine before semen is ejaculated. Since urine is acidic, it can be detrimental to sperms activity.

Question 26

The urethra performs 2 duties that cannot happen at the same time…

Answer 26

Carries urine from the bladder during urination.

Secretes sperm through ejaculation

Question 27

What is spermatogenesis? How long does it take? In what stage of life does it begin? Do men ever stop producing sperm?

Answer 27

The production of sperm. 64-72 days. It begins at the onset of puberty. Men produce sperm throughout their lifetime.

Question 28

What are spermatogonia?

Answer 28

Stem cells from which sperm are formed. These stem cells undergo mitotic divisions at birth until puberty.

Question 29

What is the role of follicle stimulating hormone in males?

Answer 29

Secreted by the anterior pituitary gland at the onset of puberty, once secreted the spermatogonia undergo cell division; one of the cells continues the stem cell line. The other cell, known as the primary spermatocyte, undergoes meiosis.

Question 30

In males, meosis produces how many gametes? What are these known as ? How is this different than in females?

Answer 30

4 gametes are produced. These are known as spermatids.

In females, only one gamete is produced, called an ovum.

Question 31

How many chromosomes do spermatids have?

Answer 31

23 chromosomes or half the genetic material or a regular cell.

Question 32

Are spermatids mature sperm?

Answer 32

No! They are not.

Question 33

Sperm mature in a process called ….

Answer 33

spermiogenesis…. the surplus cytoplasm is stripped away forming the mature sperm

Question 34

Structure of a mature sperm- 3 parts

Answer 34

head contains almost entirely nucleus containing the cell DNA with a acrosome crown containing enzymes that breakdown the egg membrane and allow the sperm to penetrate
The midpiece contains numerous mitochondria that generate the locomotive energy needed by the sperm. The tail is a typical flagellum which is used to propel the sperm through the female reproductive tract.

Question 35

What kind of glands are the testes?

Answer 35

The testes are both an exocrine and an endocrine gland.

Exocrine because they produce sex cells and endocrine because they produce hormones

Question 36

What is the pathway of sperm from production to ejaculation?

Answer 36

Sperm are produced in the testes, will be sent to the epidydimus, and will go to vas deferens , which merges with structure called seminal vesicle and form ejaculatory duct which will empty into urethra and be ejaculated out of the body through the penis.