Non Mendelian Genetics

Linkage is the tendency of alleles (belonging to different genes) to be passed together from one generation to another. Genes on the same chromosome can only show linkage. Gene on a non-homologous chromosome is unlinked and always displays linkage.

William Bateson, ER Saunders and RC Pennett worked with Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea) in 1905. They were the first to discover linkage, an exception to the law of independent assortment.