Unit 12 – Introduction to Male Reproductive System Tissues

Introduction to Male Reproductive System Tissues

The male reproductive system consists of the testes (testicles) which are the male gonads that produce sperm (male gametes) and testosterone, and all the tubes and ducts that store and transport sperm to the outside of the body which are collectively known as the reproductive tract.  The male reproductive system also includes accessory organs and glands that secrete fluids into the reproductive tract, the penis which is a tubular organ for sexual intercourse, and the scrotum which is an external skin-walled pouch that hangs below the perineum and contains the testes.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the testes serve to produce sperm and testosterone.  For a haploid sperm containing 23 chromosomes to fertilize an oocyte (developing egg) within a female, sperm must first be transported along a series of tubes and ducts of the male reproductive tract before being ejaculated from the body.  The order of these male reproductive tract structures is as follows:  epididymis tubules just outside the testes to the vas deferens to the ejaculatory duct to the urethra which exits the tip of the penis.  During ejaculation, sperm are mixed with fluids from the prostate, seminal vesicles, and bulbo-urethral glands (Cowper’s glands) to form a liquid mixture known as semen which is expelled from the external urethral opening at the tip of the penis.

The tutorials in this unit will focus on the histology and general functions of the testes, epididymis, vas deferens (ductus deferens), prostate, seminal vesicles (seminal glands), and sperm (spermatozoa).