Question

Under what conditions does Mendel’s law of independent assortment apply?

Answer 1

Mendel’s law of independent assortment applies only when gene pairs are located on different pairs of homologous chromosomes. This means one gene pair is on one pair of homologous chromosomes and the other gene pair is on a different pair of homologous chromosomes, allowing them to assort independently during gamete formation. Mendel observed independent segregation because the traits he studied were on different chromosome pairs. If the genes are on the same chromosome, this law does not apply due to linkage, where genes tend to be inherited together.