Biology 4.1

• What is the male reproductive organ?

  • Testes
• How do the testes produce sperm?

  • Spermatogenesis
• Where do the sperm form?

  • seminiferous tubules
• Seminiferous tubules also contain interstitial cells, which produce the male hormone testosterone.
• The testes hang outside the abdominal cavity in a sac called the scrotum so that the sperm do not overheat. The temperature at the abdominal cavity is too high for sperm to develop properly. Sperm develop most efficiently at 34*C.
• A system of tubes carry the sperm from the testes to the penis. The sperm pass from the seminiferous tubules, through the epididymis and vas deferens into the urethra.
• What is the function of the scrotum?

  To provide protection for the testis.
• What is the function of the testes?

  They are glands which produce sperm and hormones.
• What is the function of the epididymis?

  It stores sperm.
• What is the function of the vas deferense?

  It is a duct which connects the spididymis and the ejaculatory duct.
• What is the function of the seminal vesicle?

  It secretes a thick, clear mucus that nourishes the sperm.
• What is the function of the prostate gland?

  It secretes a milky, white fluid that neutralises the acidity of any traces of urine. It also protects the sperm from acidic secretions in the female body. This fluid helps with sperm mobility.
• What is the function of the urethra?

  It is the route for sperm and urine.
• What is the function of the penis?

  Its an organ which delivers sperm to the vagina during intercourse.
• What does the cowper`s gland secrete?

  • lubricant
• This sperm (from seminal vesicles), along with the secretions added by the accessory organs, make up the semen (seminal fluid) that is released during an orgasm.
• What is the reproductive organ for females?

  • ovaries
• A woman`s ovaries are structures about 2.5cm long containing small, sac-like structures called follicles. The follicles develop in the germinal epithelium.
• The wall of each follicle surrounds and nourished an oocyte which undergoes meiotic division to form an egg cell (a process called oogenesis).
• What is ovulation?

  • The shedding of an egg which is controlled by the interaction of multiple hormones.
  • Starting at puberty, a woman usually sheds one (sometimes more) egg cells from her ovaries every 28 days or so.
• What is the function of the ovary?

  To produce ova and secrete hormones.
• What is the function of the oviducts?

  They are tubes connecting the ovaries and the uterus.
• What is the function of the uterus?

  It provides protection and support for the embryo and foetus prior to birth.
• What is the function of the endometrium?

  It is a mucus membrane that lines the muscular walls of the uterus which is richly supplied with blood vessels.
• What is the function of the cervix?

  It is an opening through which the foetus exits during childbirth.
• What is the function of the vagina?

  • A canal linking the cervix of the uterus to the outside of the body.
  • Birth canal
  • Accomodates the penis during sexual intercourse
• The fallopian tubes

  • When an egg cell leaves the ovary, it passes across a small space and is caught up in the infundibulum (the end of the oviduct/fallopian tube) which leads to the uterus.
• The fallopian tubes

  • Cilia sweep the egg cell towards the uterus.
  • IF fertilisation occurs, it usually takes place high up in the oviduct.
  • A fertlised egg (zygote) develops into a multicellular embryo, which passes to the uterus.
• The fate of the ovum.

  • The embryo embeds itself in the endometrium (a mucus membrane that lines the muscular walls of the uterus) which is richly supplied with blood vessels.
  • If the egg is not fertilised, it will degenerate and leave the body during menstruation, along with the endometrium.