[Campbell Biology P.351] What physical process accounts for the recombination of linked gene... | Practice Question

What physical process accounts for the recombination of linked genes, leading to the nonparental phenotypes Morgan observed in his fruit fly experiment?

  • A: Independent assortment of chromosomes
  • B: Random fertilization
  • C: Crossing over
  • D: X inactivation

Explanation

The text explicitly states that Morgan proposed a process that 'must occasionally break the physical connection between specific alleles of genes on the same chromosome.' It then identifies this process as crossing over, which occurs during prophase I of meiosis and involves the exchange of DNA segments between homologous chromosomes.