CHAPTER
16 Human Reproduction
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary:This chapter discusses differences between the sexes, reproductive
anatomy in humans, and how a sperm meets up with an egg to produce an
embryo. The chapter concludes with a discussion of reproductive hormones.Key Ideas
✪Primary sex characteristics are the internal structures that assist in the
process of procreation.
✪Secondary sex characteristics are the noticeable physical characteristics
that differ between males and females.
✪Understand the concepts and the basics of embryology, but learn the
specific details only if you have time.
✪Take the time to learn which germ layer produces which structures
(endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm).
✪Four extraembryonic structures necessary to the healthy development of
an embryo: yolk sac, chorion, allantois, and amnion.
✪Factors in cellular differentiation: cytoplasmic distribution, induction, and
homeotic genes.Introduction
Finally, the racy chapter you have all been waiting for: human reproduction! The topic was
introduced in Chapter 9 in our discussion of cell division—meiosis and mitosis. This chapter
begins by examining the differences between the sexes. A discussion of reproductive anatomy
and the wild ride that a sperm must take to fertilize the female egg will follow. Then we
will review the formation of gametes and the development of the embryo.Embryology is200 ❯
KEY IDEA