Genes that show independent assortment are said to be unlinked.

Unlinked genes are genes located on different chromosomes or located far apart on the same chromosome that are unlikely to be inherited together during reproduction.

In other words, they are genes that do not exhibit genetic linkage (a tendency of genes to be inherited together because they are located close to each other on the same chromosome).

When genes are located on different chromosomes, they assort independently during meiosis and are therefore considered unlinked. This means that their inheritance is not influenced by the inheritance of other genes, and they segregate into gametes independently of each other.

Examples of Unlinked Genes

  • The gene for flower color (C) and the gene for seed shape (S) in pea plants.

The flower color gene is located on chromosome 1, while the seed shape gene is located on chromosome 7. Since these genes are on different chromosomes, they assort independently during meiosis and are therefore unlinked.

  • The gene for eye color (B) and hair color (H) in humans.

The eye color gene is located on chromosome 15, while the hair color gene is located on chromosome 6. As a result, the inheritance of eye color and hair color is independent of each other, and these genes are considered unlinked.