Reproductive system

REPRODUCTION :IS THE MEANS BY WHICH A

SPECIES IS ABLE TO PERPETUATE ITSELF.
introduction

 Ifanimals lived for ever, there would be

no need for another generation to take
over from previous ones; in reality, all
animals become old or ‘worn out’ and
die and must be replaced if the species is
not to become extinct.
 Allspecies of mammal have evolved
separate sexes and they reproduce
Sexual reproduction

 Sexual reproduction involves the transfer of genetic material.

After mating specialized germ cells – spermatozoa from the
male and ova from the female – fuse to form a single-celled
zygote. The zygote undergoes cell division to form the embryo.
 The offspring resulting from sexual reproduction are genetically
different from each other and from their parents.
 The reproductive system shares part of its structure with the
urinary system and the combined systems may be referred to as
the urogenital system.
Male reproductive system:

 The parts of the male reproductive tract are:

 Testis
 Epididymis
 Deferent duct, also called the vas deferens
 Urethra
 Penis
 Prostate gland – an accessory gland
 Bulbourethral gland – an accessory gland seen only in the
some animal tomcat.(cat male)
 The testis

The testis is the male gonad

Each testis is an oval-shaped structure wrapped in a
double layer of peritoneum known as the tunica vaginalis.
The testicular tissue consists of numerous blind-ending
tubules known as seminiferous tubules which are lined by
two types of cells:
Spermatogenic cells – these divide by meiosis to produce
immature sperm or spermatids; each spermatid contains
the haploid number of chromosomes
Sertoli cells – these secrete oestrogen and nutrients which
prolong the survival of the sperm.
Lying between the tubules are the cells of Leydig or
interstitial cells. They secrete testosterone and are under
 development of male secondary sexual characteristics
and male behavior patterns. There is a pair of testes,
which, in the adult animal, lie outside the body cavity in
the scrotum. – a sac of relatively hairless and often
pigmented skin.
Note:

Spermatogenesis occurs most efficiently at temperatures below that of

the core body temperature, so the testes are
carried outside the body cavity in a cooler environment

In cold weather this contracts and thickens the scrotal skin, raising the
temperature; in warm weather, the muscle relaxes and the scrotum
becomes thinner and thus cooler. A constant temperature for
spermatogenesis is therefore maintained.
Functions of testis

 To produce spermatozoa (sperm) by the process of

spermatogenesis; these fertilize the ova produced by
the female
 To produce a little fluid to transport the sperm from the
testes into the female tract and to aid their survival
 To secrete the hormone testosterone which influences
spermatogenesis.

 epididymis,

The coiled seminiferous tubules make up most of the

testicular tissue and eventually combine to form slightly
larger efferent ducts. These drain into the epididymis, lying
along the dorsolateral border of the testis. (The cauda
epididymis or tail is attached to the
caudal extremity of the testis and is the point at which the
temperature of the testis is lowest. It is here that sperm are
stored and undergo a period of maturation ready for
fertilization .The blood supply to the testis is via the
Deferent duct

 The epididymis continues as the deferent duct (also

called the vas deferens or ductus deferens), which
passes out of the scrotum into the abdominal cavity via
the inguinal canal within the spermatic cord. The
spermatic cord is wrapped in the tunica vaginalis and
also contains the testicular artery and vein and the
testicular nerve.
 Lying within the cord is a strip of muscle derived from
the internal abdominal oblique muscle and known as
the cremaster muscle. Contraction of this muscle raises
the testis closer to the body in response to cold and
The penis

 Convey sperm and fluids from the testis into the female
reproductive tract during mating
 Convey urine from the bladder to the outside via the urethra.



 Male mammals possess a pair of testes, which are

carried external to the abdominal cavity within the
scrotum. At the start of sexual maturity, the testes begin
to secrete two hormones:
A. Testosterone is responsible for:

 1. The development of male characteristics such as penis development,

development of the barbs on the feline penis, muscle development, jowls
on the face of a tomcat, size
 2. Male behaviour patterns, e.g. sexual drive, aggression, territorial
behaviour, courtship displays and mating behaviour
 3. Development of spermatozoa
B. Oestrogen

produced in small quantities by the Sertoli cells in the seminiferous

tubules of the testes.
paracrine substances that promote the proliferation and differentiation
of sperm, the Sertoli cells secrete several additional substances,
including :
products that nourish the developing sperm
inhibin, which inhibits FSH secretion from the anterior
pituitary
fluid that fills the lumens of the seminiferous tubules. This
fluid contains androgen-binding protein that binds
testosterone and thereby keeps the hormone at a high
concentration within the lumens of the tubules
Accessory glands

 a. Prostate gland :
 b. Bulbourethral glands: found in some animals like tomcat.

 The function of the accessory glands is to secrete seminal fluids

which:
 Increase the volume of the ejaculate to aid the passage of sperm
into the female tract
 Provide the correct environment for sperm survival
 Neutralize the acidity of the urine within the urethra.
 There are two types of gland :
Spermatogenesis and Spermiation

 Spermatogenesis is the process of the gradual

transformation of germ cells into spermatozoa.
It occurs mainly within the seminiferous tubules
of the testes
Phases of Spermatogenesis

 can be divided into three phases, each of which is associated with

different germ cell types:
 Proliferative phase: spermatogonia → spermatocytes

 Meiotic phase: spermatocytes → spermatids


 Differentiation phase (also known as spermiogenesis): spermatids
→ spermatozoa

site of spermatogenesis

 The seminiferous tubules are the site of

spermatogenesis. The two main cell types within the
tubules involved in
 spermatogenesis are the germ cells, which will develop
into sperm, and somatic cells known as Sertoli cells,
which nature the germ cells throughout the
development process.
 .

 As the germ cells progress through their stages of
development they move slowly from the basement
membrane of the tubules through the tight junctions
between the Sertoli cells into the tubular lumen
Stages of spermatogenesis

1. Proliferation phase Stem or A spermatogonia located in the

basal region of the tubular epithelium undergo mitosis. The
progeny of these divisions maintain their own numbers as well
as giving rise to several interconnected B spermatogonia
(the number of these arising from a single A spermatogonia is
species dependent). B spermatogonia divide to give rise to
primary (1o) spermatocytes. All descendants of a B
spermatogonium remain connected by cytoplasmic bridges,
forming a syncytium - like cell clone which undergoes
synchronous development.
Meiotic phase

 Each 1o spermatocyte divides to give rise to two short-lived

secondary (2o) spermatocytes, which in turn give rise to two
spermatids each. The spermatids contain a haploid number of
chromosomes (half the number of a somatic cell). 1o
spermatocytes are the largest cells in the spermatogenic series
and are located approximately midway within the seminiferous
epithelium.
 The process of meiosis occurs over a long period, with prophase
of the first meiotic division taking up to three weeks [1]

Differentiation phase

 This phase is also known as spermiogenesis.

 Spermatids undergo transformation into spermatozoa.
Many changes occur within the cells, the three major
ones being:
 i) formation of the acrosome, which covers the cranial
part of the head. The acrosome will contain hydrolytic
enzymes to allow fusion of sperm and egg for
fertilisation
 ii) condensation of nuclear chromatin in the head to
form a dark-staining structure
 iii) growth of the tail opposite the acrosome, and loss of
excess cytoplasmic material which is shed as a residual
body. The body is phagocytosed by the Sertoli cells.
 The morphological changes occurring during this
process can be seen if sections of different seminiferous
tubules are examined.
Hormonal Control of spermatogenesis

 Spermatogenesis is controlled by a complex feedback

mechanism involving the hypothalamus, anterior
pituitary and testes. Gonadotrophic releasing hormone
(GnRH)
GnRH

 is released by the hypothalamus in a pulsatile manner

and travels through portal vessels to the anterior
pituitary, where it acts of the gonadotrophic cells. These
cells respond to the stimulation by producing either
follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or luteinising hormone
(LH) depending on the pattern of GnRH secretion.
LH and FSH

 LH and FSH travel in the bloodstream to the testes,

where LH acts on the Leydig cells to stimulate them to
convert steroids to testosterone and other androgens,
which in turn contribute to the stimulation of Sertoli cells.
 FSH acts on the receptors of Sertoli cells and, in
combination with testosterone, stimulates many
functions, including
 synthesis and secretion of oestrogen, inhibin and many
other products, meiosis, spermatocyte maturation and
Leydig cell function.
 Inhibin, testosterone and oestrogen feedback
negatively on the anterior pituitary and hypothalamus
to suppress secretion of gonadotrophic hormones