Carabelle Abbas

14. November 2017

MYP5 Physical Education & Health
Ms. Matheson
The Human Body Summative

Facts about Sperm:

- Sperm are produced at a rate of several hundred per day
- These cells carry half of the genetic material needed to create a new human
- Sperm make up less than 5% of seman
- As they pass from the seminiferous tubules into a long duct, they undergo further
maturation to become motile and fertile before entering the vas deferens
- 50 Micrometers long
- Fertilize an egg if mature enough
- Main purpose is to fertilize the egg and give it the necessary genes to create a new human
-
Testes
- Produce sperm and sex hormones.
- Hang outside of the pelvis in the scrotum.
Immature Sperm Cell
- Germ cell (Spermatogonia)
Structure of a sperm:
Head
- Oval Shape (Helps with penetrating the egg)
- Large nucleus
- Nuclear vacuoles
- Nuclear envelope
- Plasma membrane
- plasma membrane is selectively permeable and regulates which molecules
are allowed to enter and exit the cell1
- Acrosome/Peri-acrosomal space/Post acrosomal region
- In Eutherian mammals the acrosome contains digestive enzymes
(including hyaluronidase and acrosin). These enzymes break down the
outer membrane of the ovum, called the zona pellucida, allowing the

1
"Plasma Membrane of a Cell: Definition, Function & Structure - Study.com." 21 Sep. 2015,
http://study.com/academy/lesson/plasma-membrane-of-a-cell-definition-function-structure.html. Accessed
15 Nov. 2017.
 haploid nucleus in the sperm cell to join with the haploid nucleus in the
ovum. 2
- Equatorial Segment
- The equatorial segment of the sperm head is known to play a role in
fertilization3
Middle Piece (Connecting Piece)
- Proximal centriole/ Distal Centriole
- During spermiogenesis, when the spermatids transform into mature
sperm, there is a partial reduction of the male centrosome, during
which the proximal centriole (PC) is retained intact in the sperm
neck,
- During this process the Distal Centriole is partially reduced and
merges distally with the sperm axoneme in the midpiece and tail.4
- posterior ring
- Connecting Piece
- Mitochondrial Strength
- Outer Dense fibers
- Redundant Nuclear Envelope
- Axoneme
Tail
- The tail of the sperm, sometimes called the flagellum, is a slender, hairlike
bundle of filaments that connects to the head and middle portion. The tail
gives the sperm cell movement.5
- Axial Filament

2
b iogenesis - NCBI - NIH."
"Acrosome
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3271650/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017.
3
"Equatorial Segment Protein (ESP) Is a Human ... - NCBI - NIH." 30 Oct. 2007,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898563/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017.
4
"Characterization of human gamete centrosomes for assisted ... - NCBI."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11732597. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017.
5
" sperm | physiology | Britannica.com." https://www.britannica.com/science/sperm. Accessed 15
Nov. 2017.


Materials for Project:

- Plato (different colors)
- Poster Board (any size)
- Color pencils
- Sharpies
- Pencil
- Camera/phone (to take pictures of final product)

Sketch:

(Final Product on next page)

Final Products:

3D Model

Poster Board/ Display