We now know that some of the seven alleles Mendel studied are on the same chromosome in pea plants. Despite this, the law of independent assortment still applies. How would you explain this?
A) Recombination via the synaptonemal complex might have occurred during mitosis.
B) Recombination via the synaptonemal complex might have occurred during meiosis.
C) The law of independent assortment applies to all alleles regardless of their arrangement on chromosomes.
D) Mendel was a good enough mathematician to design experiments that would result in the predicted ratios.
E) Independent assortment occurred during mitosis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Recombination via the synaptonemal complex occurs during meiosis, not mitosis. This process can shuffle alleles on the same chromosome, allowing for independent assortment-like behavior even for genes that are linked.

We Now Know That Some of the Seven Alleles Mendel