You will study the reproductive system of Ascaris sp.

Males and females live in the intestines of man

where they graze on the intestinal contents. Eggs pass out with the feces and if they contaminate food,
are introduced to another host. The larvae hatch in the intestine of the new host and then burrow through
the walls to be carried by the bloodstream to the lungs. At the lungs, they burrow through the alveoli (air
sacs and crawl up the trachea and down the esophagus. !ccasionally larvae get lost and crawl up the
esophagus and e"it the nose. #n some areas of the world, Ascaris is so common that a child is not
considered part of the tribe until a larva is sneezed out and found in the bed$
You will dissect Ascaris sp. to observe the internal features of the digestive and reproductive
systems. %efore beginning your dissection, add a little bit of water into the dissecting pan. This allows the
organs to float and ma&es internal structures easier to see. 'in the anterior and posterior ends of the
animal to the bottom of the pan and carefully slit the body wall longitudinally using the tip of a dissecting
needle. 'in the sides of the wall to e"pose the internal contents. 'lace pins at a ()* angle to the pan.
%e very careful not to remove or disturb any organs you will need to identify. +ocate the muscular
pharyn", ,ust behind the mouth. The intestine will appear as a thin ribbon-li&e structure that e"tends from
the mouth to the anus (see .igure /0. All other internal structures are related to reproduction$
!n the basis of the structure of the digestive tract, what conclusions can you draw about the diet of
Ascaris1
Ascaris are dioecious animals (i.e. have separate se"es. +arger animals with the straight tails are
females. The thinner animals with hoo&ed tails are males (see .igure /0. 2hen you are finished with
your dissection, be sure to trade with a group that dissected an animal of the opposite se".
334A5T#!67 Ascaris eggs are e"tremely resistant to chemical treatment. Although it is unli&ely, some
eggs may survive immersion in preservatives for short periods. .or this reason you should &eep your
hands away from your mouth and nose while performing this dissection and wash your hands afterward.33
.emale Ascaris7 +ocate the genital pore (a slit-li&e opening about one third of the way down from
the anterior end and connected to a short vagina. The vagina divides into two uteri. At the end of each
uterine segment, a thin oviduct can be seen, followed by the thread-li&e ovaries. Eggs are produced by
meiosis within the ovaries and move along the oviducts to the uterus. .ertilization of the eggs ta&es place
in the uterus.
.emale Ascaris sp. dissection.
.igure /87 9iagram of Ascaris sp. cross section .
As seen on the cross section, the musculature of Ascaris sp. consits of only longitudinal muscles. :roups
of these muscles contract simultaneously wor&ing against the fluid in the pseudocoelom.
Male and female Ascaris sp.