LINKAGE AND CROSSING OVER Q. What do you mean by linkage?

Ans: According to 'Chromosome Theory of Inheritance', the genes are carried in the chromosomes and the genes located on the same chromosome cannot assort independently and therefore try to be inherited together. This phenomenon of inheritance of genes together and to retain their parental combination even in the offspring is known as linkage. The genes located in the same chromosome and being inherited together are known as linked genes and such characters are known as linked characters. Q. Who discovered linkage? What are its types? Describe each of them? Ans: The theory of linkage was discovered by T. H. Morgan in 1911 in Drosophilla melanogaster. Depending upon the presence or absence of non-parental or new combinations of linked genes linkage ore of two types: 1.Complete linkage: The types of linkage where linked genes are transmitted together to the offspring only in their original or parental combination for two or more generation is known as complete linkage. It is very rare in organisms and exhibited by male Drosophila and Bombyx mori Example: A cross between wild type drosophila with grey body and vestigial wing (BBvv) and drosophila with black body and long wings (bbVV) produces F1 offsprings, all of which have grey body and long wings (BbVv). When these F1 males were test crossed with a double recessive female having black body and vestigial wings (bbvv), produces offsprings of two types (Grey vestigial and Black long) in equal proportions. The result indicates that grey body character is inherited together with the vestigial wings. It means that these genes are completely linked.

2.Incomplete linkage: In incomplete linkage new combinations are formed due to occurrence of crossing over during gamete formation. Thus half of the offsprings shows parental characters and half shows recombinant type.

When one variety of Maize having coloured and normally full seed (CCSS) is crossed with another variety having colourless and shrunken seeds (ccss) all F1 plants were Coloured

full (CcSs). When F1 are test crossed with double recessive variety having colourless and shrunken seeds (ccss) both parental type( coloured full seed,CCSS and colourless and shrunken seeds,ccss) and new combinations (coloured shrunken, Ccss and colourless full ccsS) were formed due to occurence of crossing over during the gamete formation in F 1 plants.