We now know that the gene for flower color and the gene for seed color are both on chromosome 1 of the pea plants once studied by Mendel. According to Mendel’s results, flower color and seed color undergo independent assortment. Which of the following explanations is most likely?
Answer

a. During a round of meiosis, the female part of a flower failed to separate a homologous pair forcing the seed color gene to pair up with the flower color gene.

b. These genes are so far apart on chromosome 1 that they undergo independent assortment.

c. Nonhomologous chromosomes containing the two genes underwent crossing over to create a new “hybrid” chromosome containing both genes.

d. Between the time that Mendel studied peas and modern times, one of the genes was translocated onto chromosome 1 so that in modern times two genes that were once on separate chromosomes are now linked.