Crossing-over involves the exchange of a portion of chromosomes from one member of the homologous pair to the other. It is believed that crossing over occurs several times on each homologous pair during each occurrence of meiosis. Two genes on the same chromosome are called linked genes. They move together on the same chromosome to a gamete. Linked genes may or may not undergo crossing over. Genetic diversity is increased by increasing the number of combinations of genes that may be present in a gamete when crossing over.
Independent assortment is the segregation of chromosomes during meiosis. The alerts for each gene are