Final answer:
Reciprocal translocations are caused by chromosomal breakage and DNA repair, or by crossover between nonhomologous chromosomes during meiosis, leading to the exchange of DNA segments between two nonhomologous chromosomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reciprocal translocations occur when there is an exchange of segments between two nonhomologous chromosomes. These can be caused by specific mechanisms in cells undergoing meiosis. Chromosomal breakage and DNA repair can lead to parts of chromosomes being incorrectly rejoined to different, nonhomologous chromosomes, and crossover between nonhomologous chromosomes can result in reciprocal exchanges that are not typical of normal meiotic recombination. Chromosome loss during meiosis II, crossover between homologous chromosomes, and nondisjunction during meiosis I, do not typically result in reciprocal translocations as these are usually associated with the behavior of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids rather than interactions between different chromosomes.