What is independent assortment?

The pairing homologous chromosomes

The exchange of genes between homologous chromosomes

The random lining up of homologous chromosomes during meiosis

The division of the cytoplasm during cell division

1 answer

Independent assortment refers to the random lining up of homologous chromosomes during meiosis. This concept explains how different traits are passed independently of one another from parents to offspring, leading to genetic variation. During the metaphase stage of meiosis I, homologous chromosomes align randomly at the cell's equatorial plane, and this random arrangement leads to an independent distribution of different combinations of chromosomes into gametes.