The idea that the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis accounts for the pattern of inheritance is known as the __.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The idea that the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis accounts for the pattern of inheritance is known as the chromosomal theory of inheritance.
The chromosomal theory of inheritance, first proposed in the early 20th century by scientists like Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri, states that genes are located on chromosomes and that the segregation and independent assortment of chromosomes during meiosis are responsible for inheritance patterns observed in organisms. This theory helped bridge the gap between Mendelian genetics and the chromosomal basis of inheritance.
During meiosis, chromosomes undergo a process of reduction division, where the number of chromosomes is halved, producing gametes (sperm and egg cells) that contain one chromosome from each homologous pair. This ensures that when two gametes combine during fertilization, the resulting zygote will have the full number of chromosomes. The specific ways chromosomes line up and separate during meiosis contribute to the inheritance of traits.
For example, genes located on the same chromosome tend to be inherited together, a phenomenon called linkage. However, genes on different chromosomes can assort independently, as described by Gregor Mendel’s laws of inheritance. These patterns are directly tied to the way chromosomes align and separate during meiosis. The chromosomal theory of inheritance also explains why certain traits can show patterns of inheritance like dominant and recessive alleles, and it laid the groundwork for further discoveries in molecular genetics, such as gene mapping and chromosomal mutations.
This theory was crucial in linking classical genetics with the emerging field of cytology (the study of cells), ultimately shaping our understanding of genetic inheritance as a chromosome-based process.