Independent assortment or segregation is correct? The law of independent assortment is accounted for by observations of prophase-I of meiosis. The law of segregation is accounted for by anaphase of mitosis. The law of segregation describes the behavior of two or more genes relative to one another. The law of independent assortment describes how alleles of two or more genes are inherited.
Incorrect Question 10 Which of the following statements about independent assortment or segregation is correct? The law of independent assortment is accounted for by observations of prophase-I of meiosis. The law of segregation is accounted for by anaphase of mitosis. The law of segregation describes the behavior of two or more genes relative to one another. The law of independent assortment describes how alleles of two or more genes are inherited.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: The law of independent assortment describes how alleles of two or more genes are inherited.
Explanation:
In genetics, Mendel’s laws form the foundation for understanding inheritance. Two of the most important are the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment.
The law of segregation states that during gamete formation, the two alleles for a gene separate so that each gamete receives only one allele. This law is observed during anaphase I of meiosis, not anaphase of mitosis. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes (each carrying an allele for the same gene) separate and are pulled to opposite poles. This explains how alleles segregate independently into different gametes. It applies to a single gene and does not describe the behavior of two or more genes.
The law of independent assortment, on the other hand, refers to how alleles of different genes (usually located on different chromosomes) are distributed into gametes independently of one another. This occurs because homologous chromosomes align randomly at the metaphase plate during metaphase I of meiosis, and their separation during anaphase I leads to many different combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes in the gametes. The law is best observed through dihybrid crosses, where inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of another.
The incorrect statements in the question are:
- The law of independent assortment is not accounted for by prophase I but more accurately by metaphase I and anaphase I.
- The law of segregation is linked to meiosis, not mitosis.
- It describes the behavior of a single gene, not multiple.
Therefore, the only correct statement is that the law of independent assortment describes how alleles of two or more genes are inherited.
