Final answer:
The process when a mature spermatozoan detaches from nurse cells and enters the seminiferous tubule is called spermiation, a final stage in the sperm development process during spermatogenesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The stage at which a spermatozoan detaches from the nurse cells and enters the seminiferous tubule is called spermiation. This is the process whereby the mature spermatozoa are released from the Sertoli cells into the lumen of the seminiferous tubules. During spermatogenesis, sperm cells, also known as spermatozoa, develop and mature. This process starts with spermatogonia, which are stem cells that undergo mitotic division to produce primary spermatocytes.
These spermatocytes undergo the two divisions of meiosis to form haploid spermatids. During spermiogenesis, these spermatids are transformed into spermatozoa. The final release of mature spermatozoa from the attachments of supporting Sertoli cells into the lumen of the seminiferous tubules to be carried to the epididymis for further maturation is known as spermiation. It is essential to differentiate this from capacitation, which is the final change that sperm go through in the female reproductive tract that allows them to fertilize an egg.