Final answer:
Gametic disequilibrium is a non-random association between alleles at different loci often caused by linkage, where genes close in proximity on a chromosome tend to be inherited together. Recombination can however break this linkage, allowing for independent assortment of alleles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gametic disequilibrium refers to a non-random association between alleles at different loci that causes a particular allele at one locus to be more likely to be inherited together with a particular allele at another locus. This concept is most closely associated with the biological principles of gene linkage and recombination, which can influence the inheritance patterns of different traits.
Alleles at different loci are typically inherited independently according to Mendel's law of independent assortment, where every possible combination of alleles is equally likely to occur. However, when alleles are close together on the same chromosome, they have a higher probability of being inherited together, violating this law and resulting in gametic disequilibrium. The concept of linkage describes the phenomenon where alleles that are located in close proximity on the same chromosome are more likely to be inherited as a pair due to their physical connection.
Recombination, or 'crossover', is a biological process that can break up this linkage, allowing genes on the same chromosome to behave independently and thus restore the possibility of independent assortment into gametes. The likelihood of recombination increases with the distance between genes on a chromosome. Consequently, geneticists can measure recombination frequency to determine gene distances and create genetic maps.