Which law states that genes for different traits can segregate independently during the formation of gametes?

• A. Law of Independent Assortment
• B. Law of Segregation
• C. Principle of Dominance
• D. Non-Mendelian inheritance

Answer: (A)

This statement describes how genes for different traits can separate into gametes without depending on one another during meiosis. When homologous chromosomes line up and separate, the choice of which allele goes into a gamete for one gene is independent of the choice for another gene. This is especially true for genes on different chromosomes (or far apart on the same chromosome, where recombination can shuffle them). That independent shuffling creates the variety of allele combinations seen in offspring, which is the essence of the Law of Independent Assortment.

In contrast, the Law of Segregation is about the two alleles of a single gene separating into gametes, so each gamete carries only one allele for that gene. The Principle of Dominance concerns how alleles interact in a heterozygote, not how genes assort. Non-Mendelian inheritance describes patterns that don’t follow these Mendelian rules.