Stages of spermatogenesis

As is known, the process of formation of male sex cells in anatomy was called spermatogenesis. As a rule, it is characterized by a number of important biological changes that occur directly in the male sex glands - the testes. Let's take a closer look at the stages of spermatogenesis and tell about their biological essence.

Which stage involves spermatogenesis?

It is accepted to distinguish 4 main stages of spermatogenesis:

1. Reproduction.
2. Growth.
3. Maturation.
4. Formation.

Each of them has its own peculiarities and has a certain biological meaning. To begin with, it must be said that the testis itself consists of a large number of tubules. In this case, the wall of each of them has several layers of cells, which in turn represent successive stages in the development of spermatozoa.

What happens at the stage of reproduction?

The outer layer of the cells of the seminiferous tubules is represented by spermatogonia. These cells have a rounded shape, with a large clearly expressed nucleus and a small amount of cytoplasm.

With the onset of puberty, active division of these cells begins by mitosis. As a result of this, the number of spermatogonia in the testes is greatly increased. The period at which active division of spermatogonia occurs is actually the stage of reproduction.

What is the stage of growth in spermatogenesis?

Part of the spermatogonia after the first stage moves to the growth zone, which is anatomically located slightly closer to the lumen of the seminiferous tubule. It is in this place that there is a significant increase in the size of the reproductive cell, which is achieved by increasing the volume of the cytoplasm, in the first place. At the end of this stage, spermatocytes of the first order are formed.

What happens at the stage of maturation?

This period of development of germ cells is characterized by the occurrence of two rapidly advancing divisions. So from each spermatocyte of 1 order, 2 spermatocytes of 2 orders are formed, and after the second division there are 4 spermatids that have an oval shape and a much smaller size. In the 4th stage, the formation of sex cells- spermatozoa -takes place . In this case, the cell acquires a familiar appearance : elongated, oval with a flagella.

For better perception of all the stages of spermatogenesis, it is better to use not a table, but a scheme that visually reflects the processes taking place in each of them.