Reproductive System Flashcards
OVERVIEW OF THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
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The Male Reproductive System Includes …?
penis, testes, male duct system, accessory sex glands
- Penis
- Testes:
these are Gonads or glands that produce testosterone ans sperm - The Male Duct System:
The Epididymis, Vas/Ductus Deferens, Ejaculatory Duct, Urethra - The Accessory Sex Glands: The Prostate Gland, Seminal Vesicles, and the Bulbourethral or Cowper’s glands
- Testes:
What does an Organ of Copulation Mean?
What are Gonads?
- The Reproductive Organ
- Gonads are glands that produce Testosterone and
Sperm
- Gonads are glands that produce Testosterone and
SCROTUM
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Define Scrotum?
What are the 2 layers of the Scrotum?
What is the Scrotum also associated with?
- The scrotum is a sac that surrounds the testes.
- The Skin & The Dartos Muscle
- the dartos muscle consists of smooth muscle
- The Testes & The Cremaster Muscle
- The Cremaster Muscle: a type of skeletal muscle that attaches to each testis
- The Cremaster Muscle is an extension of the Internal Oblique Muscle
Scrotum Functions:
hint: There’s 3 major functions
- The Scrotum supports the Testes
- The Scrotum protects the Testes
- The Scrotum regulates the temperature of the Testes
More details on how/why the Scrotum regulates temperature of the Testes
The Testes produces Sperm, a function known as spermatogenesis.
Spermatogenesis Requires a temperature of about 34 degrees Celsius (which is about 3 degrees below body temperature because Body Temp is 37 degrees Celcius or 98.6 Fahrenheit).
LOCATION: The Testes are in the Scrotum and not in the Pelvic Cavity in order to keep the testes at 34 C instead of body temperature.
The Testes start off in the pelvic cavity and right before birth they descend and enter into the scrotum.
HOW DOES IT REGULATE TEMP:
WHEN TEMP BECOMES LOWER THAN 34 C:
- The Scrotum maintains the temp by contracting or relaxing the Cremaster muscle and the Dartos muscle. When the Testes drops before 34 C, the Cremaster and Dartos Muscle contract. Contraction of the Cremaster Muscle brings the Testes closer to the body which allows the testes to absorb body heat. Contraction of the Dartos muscle causes the Scrotum to become tight or wrinkled which reduces heat loss. This results in the temperature going back to 34 Celsius.
WHEN TEMP BECOMES HIGHER THAN 34 C:
- The cremaster and dartos muscle relax. Relaxation of the cremaster muscle moves the Testes further away from the body, decreasing the exposure to body heat. Relaxation of the dartos muscle causes the scrotum to become loose which increases heat loss. The result is that it will decrease the temperature of the Testes back down to 34 C.
TESTES
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What are Testes?
How many testes/testicles does a man have?
What is this word in singular form?
Are Testes Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?
What does each Testis consist of?
- Testes are male gonads that produce sperm and secrete the hormone testosterone
- 2
SINGULAR: - Testis or Testicle
- The Testes are ASYMMETRICAL. One testis is usually larger and hangs lower than the other.
- Tunica Vaginalis,
Tunica Albuginea,
Seminiferous Tubules,
Leydig Cells. - Leydig Cells: also called Interstitial Cells, produce the hormone Testosterone & are located in between the Semiferous tubules.
- Tunica Vaginalis is the outermost layer of the testis, it consists of White connective Tissue that surrounds the testis.
- Tunica Albuginea is an additional layer of white connective tissue, it’s deep the the vaginalis and it divides the testis into lobes or lobules. Each lobe or lobule has 3 three seminiferous tubules
- Seminiferous Tubules are the sites where sperm is produced. In other words, Sperm cells are located in the seminiferous tubules.
The Organization of the Testis in more DETAIL
Spermatogenesis time/ how long it takes for sperm to develop? 75 days or 2.5 months!!!
Sertoli Cells Function?
- Nourish / protect sperm cells
- Stimulates development of sperm cells
- Secretes a fluid
- Each Testis contains 3 seminiferous tubules that contain sperm cells at different stages of development. In between each tubule are Leydig cells. The sperm cells are a basement membrane on one side and a lumen on the other.
- The sperm cells inside of the tubules have different names depending on their stage of development.
- The earliest stage: Spermatogonium
- After that: Primary Spermatocyte
- After that: Secondary Spermatocyte
- After that: A Spermatid
- Finally: A Sperm Cell or Spermatozoon
This process of development is called
Spermatogenesis <3
- How long does spermatogenesis take to occur? 2.5 months / or 75 days
In between the developing sperm cells, there are more cells called Sertoli Cells, aka also called Sustentacular cells. Sertoli Cells look like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
- Sertoli Cells nourish and protect the sperm cells, they also stimulate the development of sperm cells. Sertoli Cells are vital to the process of Spermatogenesis. Sertoli cells also secrete a fluid into the lumen of the seminiferous tubule. That fluid drags the sperm cells through the rest of the seminiferous tubule into the epididymis.
- This is important because sperm cells that are produced at the end of spermatogenesis are still immature. They’re immature because they cannot move their tails. It is the fluid that moves them and then in the epididymis is where the sperm will undergo their final maturation. The process in the epididymis takes 14 days. Once they mature there, they can then move their tails.
- SPERMATOGENESIS AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EPIDIDYMIS ARE SEPARATE PROCESSES.
SPERM CELL
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Oganization of the Sperm Cell Details:
What does a Sperm Cell Consist of?
What is the HEAD of a sperm cell divided into?
What is an Acrosome?
What’s the Nucleus?
Why is a sperm cell a Haploid cell?
TAIL details:
- A Head & a Tail
- The head subdivided into an ACROSOME & NUCLEUS
- The Acrosome is a sac that contains enzymes that penetrate the Ovum during fertilization.
- The Nucleus contains the DNA of the Sperm Cell.
- Because a sperm cell only contains 23 Chromosomes!
The tail of the sperm cell is a flagellum, which moves the sperm in a whip like fashion.
The tail is divided into a neck piece, middle piece, a principal piece, and the end piece.
The Middle piece of the Tail contains Mitochondria. The Mitochondria produces ATP which is used to move the flagellum.
MALE DUCT SYSTEM
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What does the male duct system include?
Various tubes that connect with each other such as the:
- Epididymis, Vas Deferens, Ejaculatory Duct, Urethra.
How long can Sperm be stored?
What happens if sperm isn’t used within the time frame?
- Sperm can be stored for several months.
- If a man does not ejaculate in that time, the sperm cells will be destroyed by phagocytic cells
