Which of the following scientists observed that the behavior of chromosomes was parallel to the behavior of genes and used chromosome movement to explain Mendel’s laws?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Walter Sutton and Theodore Boveri
The chromosomal theory of inheritance links Mendel’s factors to chromosomes.
(1) Walter Sutton and Theodore Boveri — Correct. They saw that the pairing and separation of chromosomes in meiosis run parallel to the behaviour of genes, and used this to explain Mendel’s laws.
(2) de Vries, Correns and Tschermak — Incorrect. They rediscovered Mendel’s results independently in 1900.
(3) T. H. Morgan — Incorrect. He worked on Drosophila and gave experimental proof of the chromosomal theory. He also coined the term linkage.
(4) Francis Crick — Incorrect. He worked on the structure of DNA and the genetic code.
NCERT Extract:
Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance – “… By 1902, the chromosome movement during meiosis had been worked out. Walter Sutton and Theodore Boveri noted that the behaviour of chromosomes was parallel to the behaviour of genes and used chromosome movement (Figure 4.8) to explain Mendel’s laws (Table 4.3).”
Figure 4.8 Meiosis and germ cell formation in a cell with four chromosomes. Can you see how chromosomes segregate when germ cells are formed?