What do loci that are far apart tend to do?

What do loci that are far apart tend to do?

• A. Not recombine.
• B. Recombine often and assort independently.
• C. Always be inherited together.
• D. Undergo mutation only.

Answer: (B)

When two loci are far apart, crossing over during meiosis happens between them more frequently, which shuffles the alleles and leads to independent assortment. The distance increases the chances that a crossover will separate the allele combinations, so the resulting gametes show about 50% parental and 50% recombinant types, effectively behaving as if they assort independently (as they would if they were on different chromosomes). This is why distant loci tend to recombine often and assort independently. The other ideas don’t fit because being far apart does not prevent recombination, and loci farther apart are not necessarily inherited together or limited to mutation-driven changes.

When two loci are far apart, crossing over during meiosis happens between them more frequently, which shuffles the alleles and leads to independent assortment. The distance increases the chances that a crossover will separate the allele combinations, so the resulting gametes show about 50% parental and 50% recombinant types, effectively behaving as if they assort independently (as they would if they were on different chromosomes). This is why distant loci tend to recombine often and assort independently.

The other ideas don’t fit because being far apart does not prevent recombination, and loci farther apart are not necessarily inherited together or limited to mutation-driven changes.