16 Questions
What is the primary function of the interstitial cells in the testes?
To produce male sex hormones, or androgens.
What is the purpose of the cremaster muscle in the scrotum?
To regulate the temperature of the testes by adjusting their position relative to the body.
Where are the testes initially developed before birth?
In the abdominal cavity near the kidneys.
What is the main function of the scrotum besides housing the testes?
To regulate the temperature of the testes.
What is the process by which spermatozoa are produced in the testes?
Spermatogenesis.
What are the three main parts of a spermatozoon?
Head, mid piece, and narrow tail.
What is the primary hormone produced by the interstitial cells and responsible for male secondary sex characteristics?
Testosterone.
What is the name of the band of connective tissue that attaches the testes to the scrotum?
Gubernaculum
What is the name of the openings in the abdominal muscles through which the testes pass during the descent of the testes?
Inguinal rings
What is the term for the cells that produce male sex hormones in the testes?
Interstitial cells.
What happens to the testes as the fetus grows, while the gubernaculum remains fairly constant in length?
They are gradually pulled caudally and ventrally.
What is the purpose of the pampiniform plexus in the spermatic cord?
It helps maintain the testes at a temperature slightly lower than body temperature.
What is the name of the tube-like structures that connect the testes to the rest of the body?
Spermatic cords
What is the name of the layers of connective tissue that surround the testes in the scrotum and the spermatic cord?
Vaginal tunics
What happens to the blood in the testicular artery as it passes down to the testis?
It is cooled by the blood returning from the testis in the pampiniform plexus.
What is the term for the process of the testes moving into the scrotum?
Descent of the testes
Study Notes
Male Reproductive System
- The male reproductive system has three main functions: production of male sex hormones, spermatogenesis, and delivery of spermatozoa to the female system.
Testes
- The testes are the male gonads, oval in shape, and their size varies among species.
- They are located outside the abdomen in the inguinal (groin) region, housed in a sac of skin called the scrotum.
- The testes have two main functions: spermatogenesis and hormone production.
- Spermatogenesis is the process by which spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes.
- Interstitial cells between the seminiferous tubules produce male sex hormones, or androgens, primarily testosterone.
Spermatozoa
- Spermatozoa are long, thin cells with three main parts: head (nucleus), midpiece (mitochondria), and narrow tail.
Scrotum
- The scrotum is a sac of skin that houses the testes and helps regulate their temperature.
- The scrotum has a band-like muscle called the cremaster muscle, which adjusts the position of the testes relative to the body to maintain optimal temperature.
- In warm conditions, the cremaster muscle relaxes, and the testes hang down away from the warm body, reducing their temperature.
- In cold conditions, the cremaster muscle pulls the testes up tight against the body wall, warming them.
Development and Location
- The testes develop in the abdominal cavity near the kidneys before birth.
- They are attached to the scrotum by a band of connective tissue called the gubernaculum.
- As the fetus grows, the gubernaculum remains constant in length, causing the testes to be pulled caudally and ventrally.
- At or soon after birth, the testes are normally pulled down through the inguinal rings into the scrotum.
Spermatic Cord
- The spermatic cords link the testes with the rest of the body.
- They are tube-like, connective tissue structures that contain blood vessels, nerves, lymphatic vessels, and the vas deferens.
- The spermatic cord has a heat-exchange mechanism that helps keep the temperature of the testes slightly lower than that of the rest of the body.
- The pampiniform plexus, a network of tiny veins, surrounds the testicular artery and cools the blood flowing to the testis while warming the blood returning from the testis.
Tunic Structure
- Two layers of connective tissue called the vaginal tunics surround the testes in the scrotum and the spermatic cord.
- The parietal vaginal tunic is a common vaginal tunic that surrounds the spermatic cord.
Learn about the functions and characteristics of the male reproductive system, including the testes and their roles in sperm production and hormone regulation.
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