In addition to serving as a vehicle of transport for the sperm, the seminal fluid serves three other important functions. Describe these functions.
The fluid lubricates the passages through which the sperm must travel, the fluid acts as a buffer protecting the sperm from the acid environment of the female genital tract, and the fluid which contains a great amount of sugar acts as the food source for the active sperm. Not able to store food themselves, the sperm absorb energy from the external sugar source. The mitochondria packed base of the sperm flagellum converts the nutrients in the semen into the ATP needed to keep the flagellum active.
