Question

In mendelian crosses, the genes responsible for different characters separate through
A. Fusion
B. Aggregation
C. Segregation
D. Distribution

Answer 1

The monohybrid cross given by Mendel described that during the gamete formation, the alleles of a gene separate from each other. This occurs so that each of the gametes carries only one allele for a gene.

Complete answer:
Mendel performed a monohybrid cross with pea plants and observed some of the processes which were never observed before. He named these processes as laws of inheritance. He gave three laws of inheritance namely the law of dominance being first, the law of segregation being second, and the law of independent assortment being third.
Now, in the mendelian monohybrid cross, it was observed that the alleles for a given gene got separated during gamete formation. Alleles are the two different versions of a single gene. After gametogenesis, each gamete carries only a single version of a gene. This is because if a gamete will carry both alleles it will make a faulty character when it will fuse with another gamete during fertilization. Thus, alleles must segregate randomly into each of the gametes. This is the explanation of the second law of inheritance called the law of segregation. The alleles segregate or separate during gametogenesis.
Fusion occurs at the time of fertilization when two gametes from two parents fuse to form the zygote. Aggregation means uniting of alleles. This also occurs in the fertilization stage.
Therefore, from the above discussion, we can conclude that option C is the right answer.

Note: The law of segregation is based on the concept that a gene exists in more than one form which is alleles. Organisms inherit two alleles for each gene, one from the mother, and the other from the father. Meiosis is the process due to which the alleles separate to be segregated among different gametes.