Practice question

Gene interaction affects phenotype translation rather than chromosome mechanics, so genotypic ratio from segregation, independent assortment and recombination stays 9:3:3:1 unchanged. Alleles still assort, gametes still combine randomly, and recombination fractions remain measurable through test crosses. What changes is how genotype combinations map onto observable trait because non-allelic products converge onto single pathway causing masking, complementation or additive effects. Therefore phenotypic ratios deviate while underlying genotypic array and linkage relationships stay strictly Mendelian, illustrating fundamental distinction between transmission genetics and physiological gene action in development.