Question

Five Mark Questions :
(a) State the law of independent assortment.
(b) Using Punnett square demonstrate the law of independent assortment in a dihybrid cross involving two heterozygous parents.

Answer 1

Mendel's second law is also known as the law of independent assortment. It states that the alleles of one gene sort into gametes independently of the alleles of another gene. In dihybrid cross between two heterozygous plants having round yellow seeds (RrYy), four types of gametes (RY, Ry, rY, ry) are produced. Each of these segregates independent of each other, each having a frequency of 25% of the total gametes produced.