Quarter 2: The Human Reproductive System

The Reproductive System is one of the most important systems in an

organism. It is solely because the survival and population growth of a species
depend on the reproductive system. It is a set of internal and external organs that
are responsible for reproduction or procreation.
THE HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

 The reproductive system varies between the two sexes; therefore, humans
have the male and female reproductive system.
 The male reproductive system is primarily comprised of the testes and the
penis.
 The female reproductive system is comprised of its major external and
internal organs.
 The major external organs of the female reproductive system include the
clitoris, labia majora, labia minora, and the Bartholin gland.
 The major internal organs of the female reproductive system include the
vagina, uterus, and ovaries.
 Although gender is determined by which type of reproductive system a
person has, rare cases occur in which a person may possess both the male
and female reproductive system.

PARTS & FUNCTIONS

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Penis — the penis is the male organ that is used for copulation.

 The penis is an external organ, but it is partly outside and partly inside
the body.
 The inner part of the penis is known as the root of the penis.
 The root is attached to the bony margins of the pubic arch, the part of
the pelvis adjacent and at the base of the trunk.
 The body of the penis is its outer part, which is freely hanging,
pendulous or swinging, and covered in skin.
 The penis is made up of erectile tissue which becomes engorged or
enlarged when pumped up with blood, producing an erection.
 The urethra, the duct for passage of both urine and semen, goes
through the penis.

Scrotum — a pouch or sac of skin under the penis, below the pubic symphysis, in
front of the upper parts of the thighs.

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  The scrotum contains the testes and the lower parts of the spermatic
cord.
 The scrotal septum divides the sac into two by a ridge visible on the
outside of the scrotum.

Testes — also called the testicles.

 Located inside the scrotum and suspended with spermatic cords.

 The testicles are enclosed in a fibrous sac called the tunica albuginea.
 The sac that encloses the testes is lined inside by tunica vasculosa,
containing a network of blood vessels.
 It is the organ where sperm are formed.

Epididymis

 The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that rests on the backside of each
testicle. It carries and stores sperm cells that are created in the testes. It’s
also the job of the epididymis to bring the sperm to maturity — the sperm
that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization.

What are the internal male reproductive organs?

You have several internal organs — also called accessory organs — that play a big
part in the male reproductive system. These organs include:

 Vas deferens: The vas deferens is a long, muscular tube that travels from
the epididymis into the pelvic cavity, to just behind the bladder. The vas
deferens transports mature sperm to the urethra in preparation for
ejaculation.
 Ejaculatory ducts: These ducts are formed by the fusion of the vas
deferens and the seminal vesicles. The ejaculatory ducts empty into the
urethra.
 Urethra: The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to
outside of your body. In males, it has the additional function of expelling
(ejaculating) semen when you reach orgasm. When the penis is erect during
sex, the flow of urine is blocked from the urethra, allowing only semen to be
ejaculated at orgasm.
 Seminal vesicles: The seminal vesicles are sac-like pouches that attach to
the vas deferens near the base of the bladder. The seminal vesicles make a
sugar-rich fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a source of energy and
helps with the sperms’ ability to move (motility). The fluid of the seminal
vesicles makes up most of the volume of your ejaculatory fluid, or ejaculate.
 Prostate gland: The prostate gland is a walnut-sized structure that’s
located below the urinary bladder in front of the rectum. The prostate gland

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 contributes additional fluid to the ejaculate. Prostate fluids also help to
nourish the sperm. The urethra, which carries the ejaculate to be expelled
during orgasm, runs through the center of the prostate gland.
 Bulbourethral glands: The bulbourethral glands, or Cowper’s glands, are
pea-sized structures located on the sides of the urethra, just below the
prostate gland. These glands produce a clear, slippery fluid that empties
directly into the urethra. This fluid serves to lubricate the urethra and to
neutralize any acidity that may be present due to residual drops of urine in
the urethra.

Sperm Cells — the male reproductive cell that is produced in the testes.

 On a microscopic level, sperms are flagellated or have a whip-like tail.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

EXTERNAL STRUCTURE

 Mons pubis — found in the crotch area, the mons pubis is a rounded
eminence made by fatty tissue beneath the skin.
 It is where the pubic hair grows.
 Labia Majora — two marked folds of skin that extend from the mons
pubis down and back merging with the skin of the perineum.
 Together, they form the vulva, where the openings of the vagina
and urethra are found.

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  Labia Minora — two small folds of skin lacking of fatty tissue which
extend backwards on each side of the opening into the vagina.
 Clitoris — is the female organ that corresponds to the penis although
it does not include the urethra.
 It is a small erectile structure formed by two corpora cavernosa,
two masses of erectile tissue.
 It is partially concealed beneath the forward ends of the labia
minora.
 The clitoris possesses the glans clitoridis, it is a sensitive tip of a
spongy erectile tissue.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE

 Vagina — the word vagina means “sheath.”

 It is the canal that extends from the outer end of the uterus, the
cervix.
 The opening of the vagina is protected by the hymen.
 The hymen is a thin membrane that surrounds the opening of
the vagina. It could come in different shapes, but it is most
commonly shaped-like a half-moon which allows blood flow
during menstruation.
 Ovaries — produce the egg cell.
 A primary sex organ is called a gonad, the male gonad is the
testes, and the female gonad, the ovaries.
 Each ovary is suspended by a mesentery, or fold of membrane.
 The egg cell, the female gamete or sex cell, is produced and
stored in the ovaries.
 When sexual intercourse happens, the sperm cell travels to the
egg cell by passing through the fallopian tubes.
 Fallopian tubes are tubes that connect the ovaries and the
vagina.
 The channel of the fallopian tube is lined by a mucous
membrane.

Fallopian tubes
The fallopian tubes are passageways that carry eggs toward the
uterus. They consist of several parts:
 the infundibulum, which is a funnel-shaped opening near the
ovaries
 the fimbriae, which are finger-like projections surrounding the
opening
 cilia, which are hair-like structures inside the fallopian tubes

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 Uterus
The uterus is an organ that is about the shape and size of a pear. It is
also known as the womb. It consists of muscular walls and a lining
(endometrium) that grows and diminishes with each menstrual cycle.

Cervix
The cervix is a narrow structure at the bottom of the uterus. It
has several functions:

 Producing mucus: The cervix produces cervical mucus, which

stops sperm from entering the uterus when a person is not
fertile or when they are pregnant.
 Protecting against bacteria: The mucus also stops bacteria
from entering the uterus and keeps the vagina healthy.
 Allowing fluids to drain: At the bottom of the cervix is a small
opening that allows fluids, such as menstrual blood, to pass
through.

The female reproductive organs include an array of parts that influence health
throughout a person’s life. The reproductive system undergoes significant changes
during the menstrual cycle, which starts during puberty and ends with menopause.

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If a person becomes pregnant, it changes further to accommodate a growing
fetus.

Female reproductive anatomy also influences sexual well-being, and creates

hormones that regulate a wide variety of functions around the body.

Phases of Menstrual cycle

The day count for menstrual cycle begins on the first day of menstruation when
blood starts to come out of the
vagina. In this section, the length
of menstrual cycle has been
assumed to be 28 days (which is
the average among women). The
entire duration of a Menstrual
cycle can be divided into four
main phases:

1. Menstrual phase (From

day 1 to 5)
2. Follicular phase (From
day 1 to 13)
3. Ovulation phase (Day
14)
4. Luteal phase (From day
15 to 28)

Menstrual phase (day 1-5)

Menstrual phase begins on the first day of
menstruation and lasts till the 5th day of the
menstrual cycle. The following events occur
during this phase:

 The uterus sheds its inner lining of

soft tissue and blood vessels which
exits the body from the vagina in
the form of menstrual fluid.
 Blood loss of 10 ml to 80 ml is
considered normal.

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  You may experience abdominal cramps. These cramps are caused by the
contraction of the uterine and the abdominal muscles to expel the
menstrual fluid.

Follicular phase (day 1-13)

This phase also begins on the first day of
menstruation, but it lasts till the 13th day
of the menstrual cycle. The following
events occur during this phase:

 The pituitary gland secretes a

hormone that stimulates the egg
cells in the ovaries to grow.
 One of these egg cells begins to
mature in a sac-like-structure
called follicle. It takes 13 days for
the egg cell to reach maturity.
 While the egg cell matures, its
follicle secretes a hormone that
stimulates the uterus to develop a
lining of blood vessels and soft tissue called endometrium.

Ovulation phase (day 14)

On the 14th day of the cycle, the pituitary gland
secretes a hormone that causes the ovary to
release the matured egg cell. The released egg
cell is swept into the fallopian tube by the cilia of
the fimbriae. Fimbriae are finger like projections
located at the end of the fallopian tube close to
the ovaries and cilia are slender hair like
projections on each Fimbria.

Luteal phase (day 15-28)

This phase begins on the 15th day and lasts till the end of the cycle. The following
events occur during this phase:

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  The egg cell released during the
ovulation phase stays in the
fallopian tube for 24 hours.
 If a sperm cell does not
impregnate the egg cell within that
time, the egg cell disintegrates.
 The hormone that causes the
uterus to retain its endometrium
gets used up by the end of the
menstrual cycle. This causes the
menstrual phase of the next cycle
to begin.

Tips for reproductive healthcare

 Make vaginal washing a part of your daily routine.

 Do not use soap.
 Do not scrub your intimate area.
 Clean from front to back.
 Use a wash with natural ingredients.
 Wear cotton underwear.
 Wear comfortable clothing.

Keeping the Reproductive System Healthy

 Eat a balanced diet that is high in fiber and low in fat.
 Drink plenty of water.
 Get regular exercise.
 Maintain a healthy weight.
 Get enough sleep.
 Avoid using tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.
 Manage stress in healthy ways.

Retrieved November 1,2022 Reproductive System Facts & Worksheets For Kids
(kidskonnect.com)

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Science Thinkers #1

Science Thinkers #2

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Science Thinker #4

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Science Thinkers #5

FLOWER PARTS
Flowers are made of many
intricate and important parts.
Most flowers contain male and
female parts.

Male Flower Parts

The male part of the

flower is called the stamen. It
is made of the stalk-like

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filament that holds up the sack-like anther. The anther contains pollen, the grain
released by flowers, which contains the sperm. Flowers that have male parts and no
female parts are called staminate.

Female Flower Parts

The female part of the flower is called the pistil. The carpel is the basic unit of the
female reproductive organ, and a pistil may consist of one or more carpels. The carpel is
composed of a stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma is a sticky tissue at the end of the
pistil that is receptive to pollen. Located below the stigma is a rod-shaped middle part
called the style and a swollen base (called the ovary) that contains eggs. Once the
pollen reaches the stigma, it forms a pollen tube down through the style to the ovary
where sperm is deposited. Flowers that have female parts and no male parts are called
pistillate.

Other Parts
Flowers have parts that are not classified as male or female. The petals, usually
colorful leaf-like structures, attract animals and insects. Sometimes the petals are fused
together and form a structure called a corolla. Beneath the petals are green leaf-like
structures called sepals. The sepals support the petals and protect the flower before it
opens; the sepals may be fused together to form a calyx. Together, the petals and the
sepals are called the perianth. With some plants, a clear distinction between petals and
sepals cannot be made. In these cases, the parts of the perianth are called tepals. Tulip
flowers and many monocots have tepals. Some plants have modified leaves at the base of
a flower or floral inflorescence called a bract. The bracts may be green, but in some cases
(e.g., the poinsettia) the bracts are colorful. The flower stem is referred to as the pedicel,
and the portion of the pedicel that holds the flower parts is the receptacle.

What is Pollination?

Pollination is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower
to the female stigma. The goal of every living organism, including plants, is to create
offspring for the next generation. One of the ways that plants can produce offspring is by
making seeds. Seeds contain the genetic information to produce a new plant.
Flowers are the tools that plants use to make their seeds. The basic parts of the
flower are shown in the diagram below.
Seeds can only be produced when pollen is transferred between flowers of the
same species. A species is defined a population of individuals capable of interbreeding
freely with one another but because of geographic, reproductive, or other barriers, they
do not interbreed with members of other species.

How does pollen get from one flower to another?

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 Flowers must rely on vectors to move pollen. These vectors can include wind,
water, birds, insects, butterflies, bats, and other animals that visit flowers. We call
animals or insects that transfer pollen from plant to plant “pollinators”.
Pollination is usually the unintended consequence of an animal’s activity on a
flower. The pollinator is often eating or collecting pollen for its protein and other
nutritional characteristics or it is sipping nectar from the flower when pollen grains attach
themselves to the animal’s body. When the animal visits another flower for the same
reason, pollen can fall off onto the flower’s stigma and may result in successful
reproduction of the flower.
Referring to the animated image, pollen from the anthers of Flower 1 is deposited
on the stigma of Flower 2. 0nce on the stigma, pollen may “germinate,” which means that
a “pollen tube” forms on the sticky surface of the stigma and grows down into the ovule of
the plant. This growth can result in:

 Successful fertilization of the flower and the growth of seeds and fruit; or,
 A plant can be only partially fertilized, in which the fruit and/or seeds do not fully
develop; or,
 The plant can completely fail to be pollinated, and may not reproduce at all.

Plants can be:

 Self-pollinating - the plant can fertilize itself; or,

 Cross-pollinating - the plant needs a vector (a pollinator or the wind) to get the
pollen to another flower of the same species.

NON-FLOWERING PLANTS
Many plants have flowers that help them to make seeds in order to reproduce. You can
learn about these plants on our flowering plants page. However, some plants do not use
flowers to reproduce. These plants are called non-flowering plants. There are two main
groups of non-flowering plants. Plants that use spores to reproduce and plants that use
seeds to reproduce. The non-flowering plants that use seeds are called gymnosperms.
Gymnosperms
Gymnosperm means "naked seeds". They are called this because their seeds are
open to the air with no covering such as the seeds of flowering plants. One of the major
groups of gymnosperm plants is the conifer.
Conifers

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 The word "conifers" means "bearing cones." Conifers are plants that use cones to
house their seeds. Conifers are woody plants and most of them are trees such as pine
trees, firs, cypresses, junipers, cedars, and redwoods.
Cones
Conifers reproduce using their cones. Some cones are male and some are female.
The male cones release pollen. This pollen is carried by the wind. If the pollen lands on a
female cone, then the female cone will produce seeds. The hard scales of the cone protect
the new seeds as they grow.
Seeds
The seeds of a conifer are winged seeds. When they are released by the cone, they
will float on the wind until they reach the ground where they will germinate and grow.

Spores
There are some non-flowering plants that don't produce seeds. Instead, they use
spores to reproduce. Spore producing plants include plants such as mosses and ferns.
Spores are tiny organisms that usually contain only a single cell. Plants that make spores
produce huge numbers of them. Because they are so small and light, they can be
dispersed by the wind to new locations where they can grow.
Mosses
Mosses are soft and spongy plants that typically only grow a few inches tall. They
tend to grow together in clumps. Mosses don't have flowers or seeds, but use spores to
reproduce. They also don't have typical roots like most plants, but anchor themselves to
rocks and soil with short growths called rhizoids.
Ferns
Another type of spore producing plant is the fern. Ferns produce spore casings on
the underside of their leaves. These look like brown spots. At some point the casings dry
out and the spores are released into the air.

Science Thinkers #6
Label the parts of a flower. Write it in the box.

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Science Thinkers #7
Flowering or Non-Flowering
Classify the following plants into flowering or non-flowering plants. Write
your answer in the box.

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