EXERCISE 17: UROGENITAL SYSTEM

(Excretion and Reproduction)

Gross Anatomy:
A. ORGANS OF THE EXCRETORY SYSTEM: eliminates NITROGENOUS WASTES
OTHER BODY PRODUCT in the form
of
urine.

KIDNEY Flat, elongated organ (dark) in color.

A pair of kidney lies in the sub-ventral
lymph sac dorsal to the
PLEUROPERITONEAL CAVITY.
Ventral Surface: lie the SUPRARENAL
OR ADRENAL GLAND (this is an
endocrine gland which appears as an
irregular light-colored band)

WOLFFIAN DUCTS A pair of white tubules that run along

cloaca.
(MESONEPHERIC Lateral to the mesonephric duct: BLOOD
VESSEL (RENAL PORTAL VEIN)
DUCTS OR UTERUS MALE MESONEPHRIC DUCT: Bigger,
Passage of the sperm + urine
FEMALE MESONEPHRIC DUCT:
attached to the ovisac, (hard to see)
Conducts the urine from the kidney to the
cloaca.

URINARY BLADDER Large bilobed membranous sac attaches

Opened to the ventral surface of the
cloaca.
URINE: may be discharged directly
outside through the anus or it may cross
and enter the urinary bladder where it
stored temporarily.

B. ORGANS OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

AMPLEXUS- (during copulation) the male toad or frog with its forelimb, clasps the

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 female just behind the bases of the forelimbs of the latter.
The sexual embrace, and takes place under water.

EXTERNAL FERTILIZATION- fertilization takes place in water

outside the body of the female.

1. B. THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

TESTES (sing. Testis)

Pair of oval or elongated cylindrical
YELLOW bodies lying on the VENTRAL
SURFACE of the kidney.
Each testis is attached to the kidney then
to the dorsal body wall by a mesentery
known as the MESORCHIUM.

Attached to the anterior end of each

testis: FAT BODIES OR CORPORA
ADIPOSA (Finger-like yellowish, serves
as food storage, and its size depends on
whether the animal is in the state of
reproduction or hibernation.)

VASA EFFERENTIA Delicate minute tubules conducting the

sperm cells to the kidney.
OR EFFERENT Tiny tubules embedded in the part of the
mesorchium between the testis and the
DUCTULES kidney.

INSIDE THE KIDNEY:

SPERM URINIFEROUS TUBULES AND COLLECTING TUBULES

OUTSIDE THE KIDNEY:

SPERM (NAA INSIDE SA MESENOPHERIC DUCT) CLOACA ANUS OUTSIDE

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 2. B. THE FEMALE REPRODCUTIVE ORGANS

OVARIES Vary greatly in size different seasons of

the year.
If filled with egg it greatly distends the
body walls.
DARK ORGANS attached to the
VENTRAL SURFACE of the kidney.
DORSAL BODY WALL: MESOVARIUM
(mesentery)

With no eggs: the ovaries are SMALL,

FLATTENED, PALE, AND
IRREGULARLY-SHAPED ORGANS.

OVIDUCTS Paired WHITE COILED TUBULES

Lying LATERAL TO THE KIDNEYS
(MULLERIAN Ovaries are filled up with mature eggs: it
becomes DILATED AND VERY
DUCTS) CONSPICUOUS.
Serve as the passage of the eggs released
from the ovary to the ovisac.

OSTIA (Sing. OSTIUM)

OPENINGS OF THE OVIDUCTS into the
PLEUROPERIETAL CAVITY
LOCATION: ANTERIOR ENDS OF THE
OVIDUCT and situated ANTERIOR ENDS
OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT LOBES OF THE
LIVER.

OVISACS THIN-WALLED EXPANDED

POSTERIOR portions of the oviducts
which open into the cloaca.

MATURE EGGS (DISCHARGED) PLEUROPERITONEAL CAVITY

PERITONEAL CAVITY (lined with ciliated cells) OSTIA
OVIDUCT (By means of beating the cilia) OVISAC (stored short time until mating)

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HISTOLOGY:

A. KIDNEY

RENAL PORTAL Space lateral border of the kidney

LINED: THIN SIMPLE SQUAMOUS
VEIN EPITHELIUM OR ENDOTHELIUM
Usually filled with blood cells.

MESONEPHERIC Smaller space

LOCATION: inner of the RENAL PORTAL
DUCT OR URETER VEIN and also at the lateral border
LINED: SIMPLE CUBOIDAL
EPITHELIUM
Filled up with cellular elements-epithelial
cells sloughed off from the lining of the
kidney tubules.

ADRENAL GLAND SMALL MASS OF EPITHELIAL CELLS

LOCATION: MEDIAN VENTRAL SURFACE
OF THE KIDNEY
Endocrine gland which secretes several
hormones

URINIFEROUS EMPTY STRUCTURES OF VARIED FORMS

LINED: SIMPLE CUBOIDAL
TUBULES EPITHELIUM
Numerous in one section, and form the
bulk of the kidney structures.
Very convoluted

PASSAGE OF URINE IN THE KIDNEY.

PASSAGE OF SPERM CELLS (MALE)

MALPHIGIAN FEW SOLID MASSES OF ROUNDED

BODIES
BODIES OR RENAL VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE UNIFEROUS
TUBULES
CORPUSCLES Composed of the following:
- GLOMERULUS (network of
arterial capillaries located at the
center)

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 - BOWMAN’S CAPSULE-thin cup-
shaped double membrane structure
that encloses the glomerulus

B. TESTIS

VISCERAL Thin outermost covering of the testis

LINED: SIMPLE SQUAMOUS
PERITONEUM EPITHELIUM

BLOOD VESSELS Small cavities

LOCATION: in the connective tissues
space between the seminiferous tubule
May filled up with blood cells which may
appear pinkish in color due to stain.

INTERSTITIAL OVAL OR ROUNDED CELLS.

LOCATION: found outside the blood
CELLS OF LEYDIG vessels and are embedded in the
interstitial connective tissue
These cells are endocrine cells that
secrete TESTOSTERONE (hormone)

TESTOSTERONE-hormone that is
responsible for the normal development
and function of the testes and
maintenance of the male secondary sex
characteristics.

SEMINIFEROUS Compartment like structure

Fill up the interior of the organ.
TUBULES SITE OF SPERMATOGENISIS.
- SPERMATOGONIA: group of
small rounded cells with compact dark
nuclei located at the center of the cells.
LOCATED: next to the wall of the
seminiferous wall tubules
Cells undergo MITOTIC CELL
DIVISION.
- SPERMATOCYTES: group of cell with
GRANULAR NUCLEI
1. PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES:
BIG CELLS (bigger than the
spermatogonia) in the SEMINIFEROUS
TUBULES. GRANULAR. Cells undergo
FIRST MEIOSIS. GIVE RISE TO THE
SECONDARY SPERMATOCYTE.

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 2. SECONDARY SPERMATOCYTES:
SMALL CELLS whose nuclei are
similar to those of primary
spermatocyte. Undergo SECOND
MEIOSIS and give rise to
SPERMATIDS.
-SPERMATIDS: a group of cells much
smaler that the spermatogonia and
having SMALL DARK NUCLEI.
LOCATION: found towards the center
or lumen of the tubule.
THEY DO NOT UNDERGO CELL
DIVISION BUT ONLY
SPERMATOSIS OR
SPERMEIOGENESIS
Transformed into MATURE MALE
GAMETES, THE SPERM OR
SPERMATOZOA
-SPERMATOZOA: cells appearing as
HAIR-LIKE STRUCTURES which
occupy the central portion of the
seminiferous tubules.
FLAGELLA: hair-like structure of the
mature male gametes (to aid them in
swimming)

C. OVARY
-lobulated
-each lobule is a reproductive cell in various stage of development.
-WALL OF THE OVARY: connective tissue lined externally with a SIMPLE
SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM (the visceral peritoneum)
-CONNECTIVE TISSUE (inside): sections of blood vessels filled up with blood cells
which are pink in color.

OOGONIUM (PL. OOGONIA)

SMALL CELL, DARK BLUE, LARGE
NUCLEUS
Nucleoli (inside nucleus: several small
dark staining bodies
GERMINAL VESICLE: nucleus of the
egg
CYTOPLASM: smooth and contains no
yolk spherules
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YOUNG OOCYTE Bigger and less darker than oogonium.
The nucleus of each cell is centrally
located.
PERIPHERIAL REGION: young oocyte are
small rounded spaces.
The yolk spherules (cytoplasm): few and
indistinct
Begin to move away from the ovary wall.

OLD OOCYTE Large cell and usually stains purple.

NUCLEUS LOCATION: one side of the egg
above the center (eccentric)
ANIMAL HEMISPHERE OR ANIMAL
POLE: DARK SIDE AND WHERE THE
NUCLEUS LIE
VEGETAL HEMISPHERE OR VEGETAL
POLE: LIGHT SURFACE

YOLK MATERIALS SMALL SPHERICAL OR

GLOBULES, embedded in the cytoplasm
OVOID

OR YOLK of the oocytes.

SMALLER IN SIZE AND LESS IN THE
SPHERULES ANIMAL POLE
BIGGER IN SIZE AND ABUNDANT IN
VEGETAL POLE

VITELLINE Thin non-cellular layer immediately

around the young and old oocytes.
MEMBRANE
FOLLICULAR OR SINGLE LAYER OF FLATTENED CELLS
WITH ELONGATED OR OVAL NUCLEI
NURSE CELLS adhering to the outer surface of the
vitelline membrane.
THE GRADUAL INCREASE IN SIZE OF
THE DEVELOPING EGGS IS
ATTAINED BY SYNTHESIS AND
ACCUMULATION OF YOLK
MATERIALS WHICH ARE USED AS
FOOD RESERVE FOR THE EMBRYO

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