Final answer:
According to Mendelian inheritance, when two traits are inherited independently, the genes are likely located on different chromosomes, as suggested by the law of independent assortment, which is based on chromosomes aligning randomly during meiosis.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the inheritance of two traits fully obeys Mendelian laws of inheritance, we can assume that the genes for these traits are located on different chromosomes. This is because Mendel's law of independent assortment relies on the fact that genes on separate chromosomes are assorted into gametes independently. When genes are located on the same chromosome, their inheritance can be linked, which means they are inherited together unless crossing over separates them during meiosis. However, if such genes are far apart on the same chromosome, they may still assort independently because crossing over is more likely to occur between them.
Mendel's law of independent assortment is underpinned by the cellular process where chromosomes align randomly during meiosis (meiosis I, specifically). This creates a variety of genetic combinations in the offspring. The occurrence of a Mendelian inheritance pattern suggests that no significant linkage or crossing over affects the genes in question, supporting their location on different chromosomes.