The chromosome theory of inheritance states that the genes (Mendel’s factors) are located on specific location on the chromosomes called locus, and the chromosomes follow Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment during meiosis and recombine at the time of fertilization in the zygote. Walter Sutton along with Theodore Boveri, noted that there was marked resemblance between chromosomes and Mendel’s factors called genes. They found the following similarities:
(i) Chromosomes exist in pairs and segregate during meiosis, as did Mendel’s factors.
(ii) Behavior of chromosomes during the meiotic process paralleled the behavior of the hereditary factors (genes).
(iii)On studying chromosomes, several of Mendel’s findings could be explained by Sutton, such as
• gametes could contain only one allelomorphic part (allele) of each gene;
• gametes containing either of the two alleles are in equal proportion; and
• two gametes fertilize to produce a zygote having two alleles for each trait.