REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Vertebrates exhibit sexual

reproduction.
Zygote results from the union of male and female gametes.
Ova and spermatozoa are produced in the gonads, the testes and
ovaries respectively.
Gonads are derived from the mesoderm.
Deferent ducts in male and oviducts in
female transport gametes to the outside of
the body.
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Deferent ducts are usually the archinephric or the Wolffian ducts
which also transport urine from the kidney.
Wolffian ducts in amniotes persists to become the ductus deferens.
Accessory sex organs bring the germ cells together.
• Reproductive ducts
• Associated glads
• Intromittent or copulatory organs.
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
 Two layer of a typical ovary OVARY
in mammals are:

1. cortex, outer with developing Graafian

follicles.
- ovum with each follicle is nourished by
2. medulla, which is inner and made up of
follicular cells.
connective tissue, blood vessels,
- at maturity, certain follicles push to the
lymphatic vessels, smooth muscle, and
surface of the ovary and either rupture to
nerve fibers.
liberate the ovum (ovulation), or are
reabsorbed.
 Ovarian follicles vary in size
depending upon the season when it
is examined and upon the volume
characteristic of each species.
Larger ova in lower forms
because of their yolk content.
Ovary attains maximum size
during the breeding season in some
vertebrates

OVARY
 Paired or fused.
Only the right ovary fully
develops and the left degenerates
in some elasmobranchs.
Most teleosts have saccular type
ovaries which produce large
number of ova during the breeding
season.
Ripe ova-->central ovarian
cavity--->oviduct--->outside
Adult teleosts lack cloaca and
have separate openings from
urinary and digestive systems.
OVARY:
FISHES
 OVARY FISHES

Most are oviparous while others are

ovoviviparous.
Some have fertilized eggs that develop
while inside the ovarian follicles
Others have their young that develop
within the cavities of the ovaries.
OVARY: AMPHIBIAN

Saccular
Ova escape into the coelom through
their external walls.
Shape varies with the shape of the
body.
Fat bodies are closely associated with
the ovaries.
 OVARY: REPTILES

Snakes and lizards’

ovaries are saccular and
elongated.
Turtles and crocodilians
have solid ovaries.
Certain ovoviviparous
snakes and lizards have
corpora lutea that form from
ruptured follicles after
ovulation.
 Both ovaries are present in embryonic
development.
In most birds, the right ovary degenerates,
and the
left becomes the functional gonad.
Stigma or cicatrix is a band located on the
surface of the follicle through which mature
ova escape from the ovarian follicles into the
coelom.

OVARY: BIRDS
 MAMMALIAN OVARIES

Located in the lumbar or pelvic

region.
Considered small in relation to
the size of the body of mammals.
Placental mammals have
compact ovaries with an antrum
within the graafian follicles.
Covered by germinal
epithelium from which oocytes
arise.
Some of this oocytes become
mature ova during the life of the
individual.
 MAMMALIAN OVARIES

Ovum escape the ovary when the

wall of graafian follicle ruptures.
Cells that remain after follicle
rupture organize to form corpus
luteum.
Corpus luteum is one source of
progesterone needed to maintain
pregnancy.
Before ovulation, estrogen is the
predominantsecretory products of the
follicle cells.
Atretic follicles are those that fail to
rupture and degenerate.
 Modifications of the
Mullerian ducts, which
degenerates in the males.
Differentiates into regions .
Posterior portion expands
to become the uterus.
Serves as temporary
storage site for eggs or a
place where the young
develops.

OVIDUCTS
 OVIDUCTS: FISHES
Some teleosts have modified
abdominal pores where eggs escape
from the coelom.
Elasmobranchs have ostium tubae,
which opens into the coelom.
Narrow distensible oviduct on either
side.
Shell gland is an enlargement of the
oviduct.
Beyond the shell gland is the uterus
that opens into the cloaca.
Ovisac shelters and nourishes the
embryo in viviparous species.
OVIDUCTS: AMPHIBIANS

Paired, elongated tubes with ostia.

Enlarged posteriorly to form a short
uterus or uterine enlargement .
Uterus opens independently into the
cloaca.
Uteri in most amphibians serve for
temporary storage for ova.
Lining of the oviducts have glands
that secrete jelly like material to envelop
the passing eggs.
Fertilization is external
Male grasp the female in amplexus.
 Open into the coelom through
slit-like ostia.
OVIDUCTS: REPTILES
Turtles and crocodilians have
glands in the upper part that
secrete albumen.
Shell is deposited in the uterus
or shell gland in snakes and
lizards.
Uteri enter cloaca
independently.
Fertilization occurs in the upper
part.
Some snakes and lizards are
oviparous.
Other reptiles are
ovoviviparous.
 OVIDUCTS: BIRDS
Most except birds of prey have only the left oviduct that
is functional.
Long, coiled, and consists of several regions.
Ostium is bordered by fimbriae.
Albumen is secreted by the glandular portion.
Isthmus is found posterior to the glandular portion where
inner and outer shell membranes
are deposited around the albumen.
Oviduct of a laying hen
1 Infundibulum,
2 Magnum,
3 Isthmus,
4 Shell Gland,
5 Uterus with egg inside
 OVIDUCTS: BIRDS

Uterus or shell gland is where the

hard calcareous shell of the egg is
formed.
Uterus opens into cloaca.
Fertilization is internal and accomplished
by cloacal kiss.
OVIDUCTS: MAMMALS
Paired, with various degrees of
fusion between the two sides.
Three distinct regions in some:
narrow oviduct or fallopian tube,
the expanded uterus, and a
terminal vagina.
Cervix is the narrow lower part
of the uterus which leads into the
vagina.
Opening of the uterus into the
vagina is called os uteri
OVIDUCTS: MAMMALS

Marsupials have paired

duplex uteri and paired
vaginae.
 OVIDUCTS: MAMMALS
Other placental mammals
have horns of the uterus, uterine
body, and a single vagina.
Uterus are classified:
1. Bipartite when there are two
complete lumens within the
body of the uterus.
2. Bicornuate uterus has a single
lumen within the body and with
two horns
3. Simplex, has no uterine horns,
and the vagina opens directly
into the body.
 OVIDUCTS: MAMMALS
Body of simplex uterus is where the fetus
become implanted.
Uterine wall is made up of:
1. Endometrium – uterine lining which becomes
highly
vascular under the stimulus of hormones.
2. Myometrium – thick muscular layer
3. Visceral peritoneum – thin outer serous
membrane.
- Menstruation results from degeneration or
sloughing of
the uterine lining followed by hemorrhage from
blood vessels.
- Estrogen and progesterone control these
endometrial changes.
 OVIDUCTS: MAMMALS

Vagina is the fused terminal portion of

the mullerian ducts.
It opens into a urogenital sinus.
Higher primates’ vagina extends
almost to the exterior, opening into a
shallow vestibule.
Lining of vagina is cornified for
reception of the penis.
Marsupials have a median vagina
which continue as paired lateral vaginae.
Penis of male marsupials is forked at
the tip.
MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
 Scrotum

• A sac containing the testes

• Intrascrotal temperature is kept constant by two sets of
muscles:
• Dartos: smooth muscle that wrinkles scrotal skin
• Cremaster: bands of skeletal muscle that elevate the
testes
Functions of the male reproductive system are:
Production of sperm cells
Sustaining and transfer of the sperm cells to the female
Production of male sex hormones
 Testes

Seminiferous tubules “sperm

factories”:
Produce the sperm
Mature spermatozoa will move to
the rete testis efferent ductules
epididymis ductus deferens
Also an endocrine gland as they
produce testosterone
 ELASMOBRANCHS’ TESTES

Paired symmetrical
structures
Suspended by mesorchium
Other fishes have elongated
and lobulated testes.
 AMPHIBIAN TESTES

Shape corresponds to
body shape
Elongated in caecilians,
short or irregular in
urodeles
Oval or rounded and
more compact in anurans
 REPTILES’ TESTES

Oval rounded or
pyriform compact
structures
Snakes’ and lizards
testes’ have one testes that
occupies farther forward in
the body cavity than the
other
BIRDS’ TESTES

Oval or round-shaped and

changes in size depending on
the period of the year
 MAMMALIAN TESTES

Tunica albuginea a thin tough fibrous

envelop of the testis
Scrotum serves to regulate the
temperature ideal for the
testes to be able to produce viable sperm
cells
Vaginal sac is a diverticulum of the
peritoneum into the scrotum
Tunica vaginalis is the extension from
vaginal sac that comes in close contact with
the tunica albuginea.
 MAMMALIAN TESTES

Maybe found in the pelvic region or descend

into a scrotum
Some mammals’ testes descend into the
scrotum only during the breeding season
inguinal canal - passage between abdominal
cavity & scrotum
SPERMATOZOA

Vary in vertebrates and are

several times
smaller than the ova
All possess tails for
locomotion
Number produced by the
human male is
about 4ml or 300 million per
ejaculation
Boar produces about ½ liter
 MALE GENITAL DUCTS

Some fishes (e.g., gar &

sturgeon) & amphibians -
mesonephric duct transmits sperm
& urine
Some amphibians - mesonephric
duct
transports only sperm; new
accessory urinary duct drains the
kidney
 MALE GENITAL DUCTS

Sharks - mesonephric duct

is used primarily for sperm
transport;
accessory urinary duct
develops
Teleosts - mesonephric duct
drains kidney; separate sperm
duct develops
Amniotes - embryonic
mesonephric ducts transport
sperm in adults
1.Testis / testicles (present as a pair)
2. Ductus epididymidis (a pair)
3.Deferent duct / Vas deferens (a pair)
4. Ampulla of the deferent duct (a pair)
5. Glandula vesiculosa / Seminal gland (a pair)
6. Ejaculatory duct (a pair)
7. Prostate (single)
8. excretory duct of the prostate (several present)
9. Bulbourethral gland (Cowper's glands) (a pair)
10. Urethral gland (Littre's gland) (several)
11. Urethra (single)
12. Urinary bladder(single)
 COPULATORY

ORGANS/INTROMITTENT
ORGANS
Found in vertebrates that practice
internal fertilization
Used for introducing sperm into
the female reproductive duct
cartilaginous fish - appendages of
pelvic fins called claspers direct
sperm into female reproductive tract
 COPULATORY

ORGANS/INTROMITTENT
ORGANS
snakes & lizards - have pair of
HEMIPENES (pocketlike
diverticula
of wall of cloaca)
turtles, crocodilians, a few
birds, & mammals - exhibit an
unpaired erectile penis
 COPULATORY
ORGANS/INTROMITTENT ORGANS

penis - usually a thickening of floor of cloaca consisting of spongy

erectile tissue (corpus spongiosum) with grooves to direct sperm & ending
in a glans penis (sensory endings that reflexly stimulate ejaculation)
mammals (except monotremes) - penis extends beyond body
The embryonic corpus spongiosum becomes a tube with urethra inside &
2 additional erectile masses develop (corpus cavernosa).
ANY QUESTION?