Theodor Boveri and Walter Sutton are the scientists credited with an extension of Mendel's laws, known as the chromosome theory of inheritance. In essence, this theory, which was developed in the early 1900s, explains what Mendel observed in his pea plants, otherwise known as the Boveri and Sutton chromosome theory. The Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance was consistent with Mendel’s laws and was supported by the following observations:
· During meiosis, homologous chromosome pairs migrate as discrete structures that are independent of other chromosome pairs.
· The sorting of chromosomes from each homologous pair into pre-gametes appears to be random.
· Each parent synthesizes gametes that contain only half of their chromosomal complement.
· Even though male and female gametes (sperm and egg) differ in size and morphology, they have the same number of chromosomes, suggesting equal genetic contributions from each parent.
· The gametic chromosomes combine during fertilization to produce offspring with the same chromosome number as their parents.
So, chromosome theory of inheritance was proposed by "Theodor Boveri and Walter Sutton".