Final answer:
Option (A), The cross between AaBb and aabb plants yielding equal numbers of AaBb, Aabb, aaBb, and aabb offspring is consistent with Mendel's law of independent assortment, which states that alleles of different genes separate independently of one another during gamete formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a cross is made between AaBb and aabb plants, resulting in approximately equal numbers of the following groups: AaBb, Aabb, aaBb, aabb, these results are consistent with independent assortment.
According to Mendel's law of independent assortment, genes sort alleles into gametes such that every possible combination of alleles for every gene is equally likely to occur. A dihybrid cross, involving true-breeding parents that express different traits for two characteristics, demonstrates this pattern.
In this case, the two genes are unlinked, which allows for the formation of various combinations due to the independent segregation of alleles during the formation of gametes.
The presence of all four phenotypic combinations in approximately equal numbers indicates that the genes are sorting independently into the gametes, corroborating Mendel's principle of independent assortment rather than linkage, where certain combinations would be more prevalent.