Reproduction Flashcards
What are gametes
Eggs or sperm
What are gonads
The primary sex organs (ovaries or testes)
What are the male external genetalia
Testes and scrotum
What is the scrotum
A fold of skin the encloses the male gonads
What does the scrotum do
Maintaind the tested at a cooler temperature than the abdominal cavity
What happens if testes do not descend into scrotum
The higher body temperature causes infertility and requires surgery to lower them
What are the testes
Paired organs that develop from gonads in the abdomen of a fetus
When do the testes descend
Last 2 months of fetal development
What do seminiferous tubules do
Produce sperm by meiosis called spermatogenisis
What do seminiferous tubules contain
Interstitial cells that produce testosterone
What happens to seminiferous tubules in puberty
Before puberty they are solid cords and the hollow out and become functional in purberty
What is the function of the epididymis
A place if sperm maturation and storage of sperm
What are the epididymis
Tightly coiled tubules just outside the testes
What is the vas deferens
A tubule that connects from the epididymis to the ejacalutory duct
What is the function of the vas deferend
Takes mature sperm from epididymis to ejaculatory duct that connects to urethra
Beginning also stores sperm for a short time
What is the function of the urethra
It carries both urine and semen
During ejaculation the bladder is closed off so no urine comes out
What is the urethra
A tube that allows urine (waste) and semen to exit through the penis
Where is sperm produced
Inside the seminiferous tubules in the testes
Where does sperm mature
In the Epididymis
Where does mature sperm enter into
Into the vas deferens by muscle contractions
What is the path of sperm in the body
Seminiferous tubules - epididymis - vas deferens - ejaculatory duct - urethra - penis
What are the 3 parts of the sperm
The head, middle piece and tail
What shape is the mitochondria in the sperm
Spiral shaped
What does the mitochondria do in the sperm
It surrounds the middle piece and provides energy for sperm movement