11.1.2. Spermatozoon

The male gamete

The spermatozoa are cells highly specialized that have decreased in size by eliminating much of the cytoplasm. They are much smaller than eggs and are highly mobile. The sperm are intended to travel to fertilize the female egg. Three parts are distinguished in the sperm:

Tail. Formed by a flagellum with a protein structure that, when moving, allows the sperm to move.
Neck. It contains numerous mitochondria that provide it with the energy to move.
Head. It contains the nucleus and the acrosome.
- The nucleus, with 23 chromosomes, has half the genetic makeup of the rest of the body's cells.
- The acrosome is a vesicle that contains enzymes that serve to break and cross the protective sheaths of the ovum.

By Simplified spermatozoon diagram.svg: Mariana Ruizderivative work:Miguelferig [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Humor: Homer Simpson sperm.

What path do the sperm follow?

The sperm are formed within the testes and travel to the epididymis. When they are already mature they pass into the vas deferens. There the fluids produced by the seminal vesicles and the prostate are added to form semen. The spermatozoa constitute only 10% of the sperm, the rest is seminal fluid, prostate and other secretions. From the vas deferens it will pass to the urethra and finally to the exterior.

Activity: Parts of a sperm.

Nettie Stevens and the Matilda Effect

Nettie Stevens was the woman who discovered, studying the Tenebrio molitor beetle , that the somatic cells of females had 20 large chromosomes (10 pairs), and those of males, 19 large and one small (9 pairs of large chromosomes and 1 of chromosome one large and one small chromosome).

Stevens concluded that sperm cells containing a small (Y) chromosome determined male sex, and those with 10 large (X) chromosomes determined female sex.

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Skip navigation Biology and Geology 3rd compulsory secondary education Biology and Geology 3rd ESO 01. General organization of the human body 1.1. Levels of organization of the human body 1.2. The cell 1.2.1. The prokaryotic cell 1.2.2. The eukaryotic cell 1.2.2.1. The eukaryotic animal cell 1.2.2.2. The eukaryotic plant cell 1.3. Tissues 1.4. Organs, systems and apparatus 1.5. Bibliography and student work 02. Food and health 2.1. Feeding and nutrition 2.2. Nutrients 2.2.1. Types of nutrients 2.2.2. The energy of nutrients 2.3. The food 2.4. Diets 2.5. Food consumption 2.5.1. Labelled 2.5.2. How to shop and cook 2.6. Food preservation and hygiene 2.7. Food production 2.7.1. Intensive agriculture 2.7.2. Intensive livestock 2.7.3. Aquaculture 2.7.4. Transgenic foods 2.7.5. Organic food 2.8. Eating-related illnesses 2.9. Bibliography and student work 03. The digestive system and digestion 3.1. Nutrition function 3.2. Digestive system 3.2.1. Ingestion 3.2.1.1. Chewing 3.2.1.2. Insalivation 3.2.1.3. Swallowing 3.2.2. Digestion 3.2.3. Absorption 3.2.4. Expulsion or egestion 3.3. Diseases of the digestive system 3.3.1. Diseases in the mouth 3.3.2. Diseases in the stomach 3.3.3. Diseases in the intestine 3.3.4. Liver disease 3.4. Healthy habits related to the digestive system 3.5. Bibliography and student work 04. The respiratory system and respiration 4.1. Respiratory tract and lungs 4.1.1. Airways 4.1.2. Lungs 4.1.3. The gaseous exchange 4.2. Respiratory activity 4.3. Diseases of the respiratory system 4.4. Healthy habits related to the respiratory system 4.5. Bibliography and student work 05. The circulatory system and circulation 5.1. General organization of the circulatory system 5.2. The blood 5.3. The heart 5.4. Heart movements 5.5. Blood vesels 5.6. Blood pressure 5.7. The blood circulation 5.8. Lymph and lymphatic system 5.9. Diseases of the circulatory system 5.9.1. Diseases of the blood vessels 5.9.2. Heart disease 5.9.3. Blood diseases 5.10. Healthy habits for the circulatory system 5.11. Bibliography and student work 06. The excretory system and excretion 6.1. Excretion 6.2. Urinary system 6.2.1. Kidneys 6.2.2. Urine formation 6.2.3. Urinary tract 6.3. Kidney disease 6.4. Healthy habits for the excretory system 6.5. Bibliography and student work 07. The nervous system 7.1. Relationship function and the nervous system 7.2. Cells of the nervous system 7.2.1. Neuron 7.2.2. Glia 7.3. Nerve impulse 7.4. Organization of the nervous system 7.4.1. The Central Nervous System 7.4.1.1. Encephalon 7.4.1.2. Spinal cord 7.4.2. The Peripheral Nervous System 7.4.2.1. Somatic Nervous System 7.4.2.2. Autonomic nervous system 7.5. Nervous acts 7.6. Nervous system diseases 7.6.1. Brain injuries 7.6.2. Spinal cord injuries 7.6.3. Neuropsychological diseases 7.6.4. Pathologies related to lifestyle 7.7. Healthy habits and mental health 7.8. Drug addiction 7.8.1. Common characteristics of drugs 7.8.2. Classification of drugs 7.9. Bibliography and student work 08. The endocrine system 8.1. The types of responses 8.2. The endocrine system 8.2.1. Endocrine glands 8.2.2. Hormonal control 8.3. Endocrine system diseases 8.4. Bibliography and student work 09. Sensory receptors. The sense organs 9.1. Perception: sensory receptors 9.1.1. The touch and the pain 9.1.2. The sense of smell 9.1.3. Taste 9.1.4. The eye and vision 9.1.5. The ear: hearing and balance 9.2. Healthy habits for the sense organs 9.3. Bibliography and student work 10. Effector organs. The locomotor system 10.1. The skeleton 10.1.1. The bones 10.1.1.1. Bones of the human body 10.1.2. Joints 10.2. Musculature 10.2.1. Muscles of the human body 10.3. Healthy habits of the locomotor system 10.4. Musculoskeletal disorders 10.5. Bibliography and student work 11. Human sexuality and reproduction 11.1. Human reproduction 11.1.1. The male reproductive system 11.1.2. Spermatozoon 11.1.3. The female reproductive system 11.1.4. The ovule 11.1.5. The menstrual cycle 11.1.6. Fertilization, pregnancy and childbirth 11.1.6.1. Fertilization 11.1.6.2. Pregnancy 11.1.6.3. Birth 11.2. Natality control 11.2.1. Contraceptive methods 11.2.2. Reproduction techniques 11.2.2.1. Exploratory techniques 11.2.2.2. Assistance techniques in childbirth 11.2.2.3. Assisted reproductive techniques 11.3. Adolescence and sexuality 11.4. Main sexually transmitted diseases and prevention 11.5. Prevention and sexual hygiene 11.6. Bibliography and student work 12. Health and disease 12.1. What is health? 12.1.1. Health indicators 12.1.2. Health determinants 12.2. The disease and types of diseases 12.3. Infectious diseases 12.3.1. Types of infectious diseases 12.3.2. Immunity and immune system 12.3.3. Prevention and cure of infectious diseases 12.4. Non-infectious diseases 12.5. First aid 12.6. Transplants and donation of cells, blood and organs 12.7. Bibliography and student work 13. Ecosystems 13.1. Ecosystem components 13.2. Types of ecosystems 13.3. Factors influencing the ecosystem 13.4. Balance in ecosystems 13.5. The soil as an ecosystem 13.6. Bibliography and student work 14. The external geological activity of the Earth 14.1. Solar energy on Earth 14.2. External geological processes 14.2.1. Weathering 14.2.2. Erosion, transport and sedimentation 14.3. Factors that condition the modeling of the relief 14.4. Forms of relief modeling 14.4.1. Wild or stream waters 14.4.2. Torrential modeling 14.4.3. River modeling 14.4.4. Karst modeling. Groundwater 14.4.5. Littoral modeling 14.4.6. Glacier modeling 14.4.7. Wind or desert modeling 14.5. Geological action of living beings 14.6. Geological action of the human being 14.7. Bibliography and student work 15. The internal geological activity of the Earth 15.1. The internal energy of the Earth 15.2. Volcanoes 15.2.1. Types of volcanoes 15.2.2. Volcanic risk 15.3. Earthquakes 15.3.1. Seismic risk 15.4. Bibliography and student work « Previous \| Next » 11.1.2. Spermatozoon The male gamete The spermatozoa are cells highly specialized that have decreased in size by eliminating much of the cytoplasm. They are much smaller than eggs and are highly mobile. The sperm are intended to travel to fertilize the female egg. Three parts are distinguished in the sperm: Tail. Formed by a flagellum with a protein structure that, when moving, allows the sperm to move. Neck. It contains numerous mitochondria that provide it with the energy to move. Head. It contains the nucleus and the acrosome. The nucleus, with 23 chromosomes, has half the genetic makeup of the rest of the body's cells. The acrosome is a vesicle that contains enzymes that serve to break and cross the protective sheaths of the ovum. By Simplified spermatozoon diagram.svg: Mariana Ruizderivative work:Miguelferig [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons Humor: Homer Simpson sperm. What path do the sperm follow? The sperm are formed within the testes and travel to the epididymis. When they are already mature they pass into the vas deferens. There the fluids produced by the seminal vesicles and the prostate are added to form semen. The spermatozoa constitute only 10% of the sperm, the rest is seminal fluid, prostate and other secretions. From the vas deferens it will pass to the urethra and finally to the exterior. Activity: Parts of a sperm. Nettie Stevens and the Matilda Effect Nettie Stevens was the woman who discovered, studying the Tenebrio molitor beetle , that the somatic cells of females had 20 large chromosomes (10 pairs), and those of males, 19 large and one small (9 pairs of large chromosomes and 1 of chromosome one large and one small chromosome). Stevens concluded that sperm cells containing a small (Y) chromosome determined male sex, and those with 10 large (X) chromosomes determined female sex. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License 4.0 « Previous \| Next » You can ask, comment, contribute, get in touch with other users in the forum of this course. This course is translated from https://biologia-geologia.com/BG3/
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The male gamete

What path do the sperm follow?