Explain independent assortment.

• A. Alleles for different genes segregate together during gamete formation.
• B. Alleles for different genes segregate independently during gamete formation, producing various allele combinations.
• C. Alleles for the same gene separate at random during meiosis.
• D. Only dominant alleles are passed to offspring.

Answer: (B)

Independent assortment is the idea that the alleles for different genes are sorted into gametes without being linked to each other. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes line up and separate in a random orientation, so the maternal or paternal chromosome carrying a given gene can end up in any gamete independently of other genes. This random distribution creates many possible combinations of alleles in the gametes, which is why offspring can show a variety of trait combinations.

For example, when considering two genes on different chromosomes, a gamete can receive any combination of the alleles from those genes, leading to a mix of parental and recombinant allele combos in the offspring. This principle is what the statement captures: alleles for different genes segregate independently during gamete formation, producing various allele combinations.

In contrast, if genes are very close together on the same chromosome, they may travel together through meiosis more often than not (they're linked), which reduces independent assortment. Also, alleles within the same gene still follow the segregation rule, but that’s about a single gene, not the independent sorting of different genes. And offspring can inherit both dominant and recessive alleles; the idea isn’t that only dominant alleles pass on.