Martinez, Mica Dell D. Prof.

Aida Mamorno
BS-BSN-1B November 19, 2019
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Objectives:
At the end of the exercise, the students should be able to:
1. Identify the male and the female reproductive structures;
2. Trace the pathway of the reproductive system;
3. Differentiate sexual from asexual reproduction; and
4. Explain the physiology of reproduction by describing the anatomy of the reproductive
system.

Questions:
1. What is reproduction? What are its two types?
Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual
organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parents". Reproduction is a fundamental feature of
all known life; each individual organism exists as the result of reproduction. There are two forms of
reproduction: asexual and sexual.

In asexual reproduction, an organism can reproduce without the involvement of another

organism. Asexual reproduction is not limited to single-celled organisms. The cloning of an organism
is a form of asexual reproduction. By asexual reproduction, an organism creates a genetically similar
or identical copy of itself. The evolution of sexual reproduction is a major puzzle for biologists. The
two-fold cost of sexual reproduction is that only 50% of organisms reproduce and organisms only
pass on 50% of their genes.

Sexual reproduction typically requires the sexual interaction of two specialized organisms,
called gametes, which contain half the number of chromosomes of normal cells and are created by
meiosis, with typically a male fertilizing a female of the same species to create a fertilized zygote.
This produces offspring organisms whose genetic characteristics are derived from those of the two
parental organisms.

2. Trace the pathway of the female reproductive system and that of the male reproductive
system.
In both the sexes of frog, each gonad remains attached to the kidney of same side. In human
special ligaments attach the gonads to body wall. In males, testes is not abdominal in location; these
are present in scrotal sac.

In frogs, testes delivers sperms inside Bidder's canal running through kidney. The sperms exit
testes through ureter which is a common urinogenital duct: ureter delivers sperms in cloaca. In female
frogs, ovaries shed the mature eggs in coelomic cavity. Eggs enter oviducal funnel to reach oviduct.
Eggs enter cloaca through oviducts of both sides.

In breeding season, frogs perform a false copulation: the act of amplexus so that both the
sexes release huge number of gametes together in water. Gametes come out through cloacal
aperture. Frog's larvae are aquatic, gill breathing. Metamorphosis takes place in tadpoles when the
frog becomes lung breathing and terrestrial.
3. Relate the structural relationship between the excretory and the reproductive organs of a
frog.
The frog's excretory and reproductive system is called the urogenital system because they
work together quite often, especially in male frogs. They work together more in a male because a
male frog's testes are attached to the kidneys. During mating season male frogs force the female to
release the eggs (which come out of the cloaca), then the male frog releases sperm (also out of the
cloaca).
The excretory system of the frog starts with taking in liquid waste from the kidneys—which
remove wastes and extra water to become urine—which then is collected in the urinary bladder
through ureters. The urinary bladder is present ventral to the rectum and both open into the cloaca.
Both of these waste materials leave the body through the cloaca and the cloacal vent. For males,
both ureters act as a urogenital duct which opens into the cloaca while in females, the ureters and the
oviduct open separately into the cloaca. When frogs lack a water source, or are faced with a dry
period, water can be reabsorbed from urine in the bladder to rehydrate the frog. When frogs are on
land, they can also reabsorb water into the blood which helps to replace water loss from evaporation
through the skin. The excretory system of amphibians, such as frogs, is advantageous to their
specific niche.

4. What is a copulatory organ?

An organ utilized by the male animal for insemination, that is, to deposit spermatozoa directly
into the female reproductive tract. Various types of copulatory organs are found among the
vertebrates, whereas cloacal apposition occurs in most other vertebrates which lack these structures.

5. Why is there a decrease in the size of fat bodies in frogs during the breeding season?
Producing viable eggs depends on a frog getting more energy than it needs simply to stay
alive, so extra energy is needed to support egg development. The fat bodies typically provide this. As
the eggs grow and mature, the fat bodies decrease in size. It appears to be healthy for the fat bodies
to accumulate fat and then lose the fat over the course of a year, a necessary part of the reproductive
cycle. When dissecting a frog, fat bodies are easy to identify. The fat bodies in frogs are yellowish to
orange in color. They have a finger-like or spaghetti-like shape. The fat bodies are needed for
hibernating, metamorphosis and for mating. These are areas in the body containing stored energy.
They are located near the genitals inside of Amphibians. They are located near the testes in males
and near the ovaries in females. Sometimes, they can be quite large and take up much space in the
body cavity. Adipose tissue, or fat is necessary for survival, as it is an energy reserve.