Random fertilization is described as?

• A. Independent assortment
• B. Crossing over
• C. Random joining of two gametes
• D. Segregation of alleles

Answer: (C)

Random fertilization refers to the random joining of two gametes to form a zygote. Any sperm can fuse with any egg, creating a huge array of possible zygote genotypes and driving genetic diversity in offspring. This event happens after meiosis, when each gamete carries a unique mix of alleles; the emphasis is on the fusion of the two gametes, not on how they were produced. The other terms describe different meiotic processes that generate variation—independent assortment deals with how chromosome pairs align and separate, crossing over is the exchange of DNA between homologous chromosomes, and segregation of alleles is Mendel’s principle that alleles separate into gametes. But random fertilization specifically names the random combination of sperm and egg that determines the zygote’s genetic makeup.