Unit 3.
Reproduction
Content
1.1 Puberty and Adolescence
1.2 Secondary sexual characteristics
1.3 Reproduction in Humans
1.4 Fertilization
Puberty and adolescence are two terms interlinked to each other
representing certain changes and periods of such changes. Puberty refers to
the physical changes leading to sexual maturity in a boy or a girl.
Adolescence refers to the transition period when psychological and social
changes take place in a boy or girl. Puberty is the reason for adolescence and
this period may vary from one person to another.
Adolescence sexual characters / Secondary sexual characters
As a part of growth and maturity, the body undergoes many changes both in
men and women. Especially during adolescence, development is at a faster
rate. For reproduction, there are some different characteristics that can be
observed in boys and girls. Primary sexual characteristics are those
characteristics that are inborn while secondary sexual characteristics are those
that emerge at puberty. Penis in men and vagina in women are primary
characteristics in humans. Hair growth in the pubic region and height change
are examples of secondary sexual characteristics.
Secondary sexual characteristics
Secondary characteristics are the result of hormonal changes in the body
during puberty. These changes are faster in girls than in boys. Some changes
are common in both boys and girls while others are specific to each gender.
This is due to the different hormones released by them. Growth of pubic hair,
facial hair, and under the armpit, increase in height, sweating, etc. are some of
the secondary sexual characteristics.
Change in height: Most prominent change that occurs in adolescents is
the change in their heights. Growth hormone secretion and bone growth
are much higher during this time.
Sweat and Sebaceous glands: The pimples and acne in adolescents are
mostly due to the increased activities of sweat and sebaceous glands
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Hair growth: Another observable change is rapid hair growth under the
armpit and pubic area.
Changes developed in Boys
Boys develop the heavier muscular body, wide shoulders, and narrow
hips.
Enlargement of the voice box leads to a much deeper voice.
Maturation of testis and starts to produce sperm.
The growth of hairs on the chest.
Enlargement of Adam’s apple.
Changes developed in girls
Rounded hips and breast development.
Matured ovaries start to release a mature ovum.
Ovulation and menstruation initiate.
Mammary gland enlargement.
Testosterone hormones produced in the testis of males and estrogens
released in the ovaries of females are responsible for these changes in the
males and females respectively.
1. What was difficult about going through puberty for you?
While your body is adjusting to all the new hormones, so is your mind.
- During puberty, you might feel confused or have strong emotions that
you've never had before.
- You may feel anxious about how your changing body looks.
- You might feel get upset or lose your temper more than usual.
2. Misconception about puberty
[Link]
3. why it's important to have complete and correct information about
puberty.
Puberty is the time when kids grow into young adults through physical
and emotional changes. This doesn't happen all at once, but slowly over
time. It's good to know about the changes that come along with
puberty so you know what to expect.
Reproduction in Humans:
In humans, the female sex cell (gamete) is called an egg or ova (Plural: Ovum).
The male sex cell in humans is called a sperm. Sexual reproduction in humans
starts by a sexual intercourse followed by the fusion of the two gametes
together forming a zygote (Fertilization).
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The Female Reproductive System:
The female reproductive system is located under the stomach. It consists of the
following parts:
The Ovaries: There are two ovaries. One on each side. They contain
follicles where eggs are produced,
Oviducts (Fallopian Tube): They are two tubes, one on each side
connected to an ovary. They are where fertilization occurs and they
provide a pathway for the eggs to travel to the uterus by sweeping them
by cilia on its walls,
Uterus (Womb) : Where the fetus develops,
Cervix: A muscular tissue which separates the vagina from the uterus,
Vagina; this is a muscular tube connecting the cervix to the
outside of the body.
Male Reproductive System:
The male reproductive system is also located under the stomach. It consists of
the following parts:
Testes: a male human has two testicles. A testis is a male gland that
produces sperm and the male sex hormone testosterone,
Scrotum: it is the sac which contains the testicles,
Sperm Ducts (Vas deferens): They are two muscular tubes, each
connected to a testis. They carry the sperm from the testis to the urethra,
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Prostate Gland: It secretes a nutritive fluid to the sperms to form a mixture
called semen. Sperms + Nutritive Fluid = Semen
Epididymis: coiled tubes in which sperms are stored,
Seminal vesicle: it is another gland like the prostate gland. It also
secretes nutritive fluids for sperms to feed from and swim in forming
semen.
Prostate gland — this is a walnut-sized gland that sits in the middle of the
pelvis. The urethra runs through the middle of it. It produces the fluid
secretions that support and nourish the sperm.
Urethra: It is a tube inside the penis which is the pathway of semen and
urine out of the body,
The testicles are inside the scrotum which hangs outside the body. This is
because testicles work best at a temperature below that of the body.
Gametes
1. The sperm is the male gamete in case of human reproduction.
Structure of sperm:
The sperm consists of the head, neck, middle piece and tail.
The entire body of the sperm is covered by a plasma membrane.
The head consists of a cap-like structure called the acrosome which contains
digestive enzymes that help in the fertilization of the ovum. It also contains
a haploid nucleus i.e. with only 23 chromosomes.
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The middle piece consists of many mitochondria which provide energy to
the sperm for locomotion, it also contains the centrioles.
The tail is for the motility of the sperm.
2. The ovum or egg cell is a non-motile female gamete that fuses with the
motile sperm during fertilisation and results in the formation of the zygote.
Here, let’s discuss more about the structure of the human egg cell or ovum
in detail.
Comparing Male and Female Gametes:
Eggs are much bigger than sperm. This is because it needs space to store
nutrients on which the embryo feeds before it reaches the uterus.
Eggs being very large makes it wasteful to make plenty of them; this is why
a woman has one egg at a time.
Sperms however are much smaller and in larger quantities to increase the
chance of successful fertilization.
Sperms feed on nutrients in the semen fluid. Eggs are unable to move by
themselves, they are swept to the uterus by cilia in the walls of the oviduct.
On the other hand, sperms have long tails which helps them swim their way
to the egg.
Sperm also has a large number of mitochondria to release lots of energy to
be used in swimming.
Fertilization
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The sperms with their tails swim from the vagina, through the cervix and
uterus, into an oviduct.
Ovum/egg passes down in the oviduct, with the help of oviduct muscle
movement.
When a sperm meets the egg in the fallopian tube .oviduct the fertilization
happens.
Sperm penetrates the membrane of the ovum by secreting an enzyme; only
the head of the sperm goes in, and the tail is left outside.
In the woman, an egg lives for several days in one of the oviducts.
Fertilization will be successful only if the egg is still living in one of the
oviducts. Many sperm may arrive in the egg but only one can fertilize it.
The sperms gather around the egg and compete for it by secreting enzymes
that can digest the wall of the egg. Once one of them succeeds in
penetrating the wall of the egg, it gets in leaving its tail out. At the same
moment this happens, the egg produces an impermeable wall around it
called a fertilization membrane which prevents any more sperm from
entering the egg.
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