What is the law of segregation?

This principle, which Mendel discovered, predicts the transmission of a single trait. When a gamete is produced, the two copies of a particular gene (alleles) separate during its formation. For example, if a pea plant has the genetic makeup of Rr, where R is round and r is wrinkled, then half the gametes will contain R and the other half r. The law of segregation comes into play during meiosis when an organism decreases its chromosome number by half when forming egg or sperm.

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