Why are linked traits inconsistent with Mendel’s laws?
Linked traits are likely to be inherited together. This is not consistent with Mendel’s law of independent assortment.
Linked traits are likely to be inherited together. This is not consistent with Mendel’s law of independent assortment.
Linked traits are unlikely to be inherited together. This is not consistent with Mendel’s law of segregation.
Linked traits are unlikely to be inherited together. This is not consistent with Mendel’s law of segregation.
Epistasis causes traits to be inherited together. This is consistent with Mendel’s law of segregation.
Epistasis causes traits to be inherited together. This is consistent with Mendel’s law of segregation.
Epistasis causes traits to be inherited together. This is not consistent with Mendel’s law of independent assortment.
Linked traits are inconsistent with Mendel's laws because they violate Mendel's law of independent assortment. Mendel's law of independent assortment states that during gamete formation, genes for different traits segregate independently of each other and are randomly sorted into gametes. This means that the inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of another trait.
However, linked traits are located close to each other on the same chromosome and are inherited together more often than would be expected by chance. This is because during crossing over, where genetic material is exchanged between homologous chromosomes during meiosis, linked genes tend to stay together and are less likely to be separated. As a result, the inheritance patterns of linked traits do not follow Mendel's law of independent assortment.
For example, if a person inherits a gene for brown eyes from one parent and a gene for dark hair from the other parent, and these traits are linked, they are more likely to be inherited together. This means that if a person has brown eyes, they are more likely to have dark hair as well, even if these traits are not always found together in the general population.
It is important to note that while linked traits do not follow the law of independent assortment, they can still be influenced by other genetic principles such as epistasis, which occurs when the expression of one gene affects or masks the expression of another gene. Epistasis can cause traits to be inherited together, but it does not explain the inconsistency of linked traits with Mendel's law of independent assortment.