[Campbell Biology P.325] The law of independent assortment applies to genes located on diffe... | Practice Question

The law of independent assortment applies to genes located on different, nonhomologous chromosomes. What happens if two genes are located very close together on the same chromosome?

  • A: They will assort independently.
  • B: They will produce a 9:3:3:1 phenotypic ratio.
  • C: They tend to be inherited together.
  • D: One of the genes will become dominant over the other.

Explanation

The text mentions this as an exception to the law: '...genes that are very far apart on the same chromosome... alleles of which tend to be inherited together.' This phenomenon is known as genetic linkage.