You design Drosophila crosses to provide recombination data for gene a, which is located on the chromosome shown in Figure 15.12. Gene a has recombination frequencies of 14% with the vestigial wing locus and 26% with the brown eye locus. Approximately where is a located along the chromosome?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given recombination frequencies: 14% between gene a and the vestigial wing locus, and 26% between gene a and the brown eye locus.
2. Understand that recombination frequency is a measure of the distance between genes on a chromosome. The higher the percentage, the further apart the genes are likely to be.
3. Map the genes on the chromosome based on their recombination frequencies. Since 14% is less than 26%, gene a is closer to the vestigial wing locus than to the brown eye locus.
4. Use the recombination frequencies to estimate the relative positions: place the vestigial wing locus and the brown eye locus at two ends, with gene a closer to the vestigial wing locus.
5. Conclude that gene a is located approximately between the vestigial wing locus and the brown eye locus, but closer to the vestigial wing locus due to the lower recombination frequency.