Genetic linkage is the tendency of
alleles that are located close together on a
chromosome to be inherited together during the
meiosis phase of
sexual reproduction. Genes whose
loci are nearer to each other are less likely to be separated onto different
chromatids during
chromosomal crossover, and are therefore said to be genetically
linked. In other words, the nearer two genes are on a chromosome, the lower is the chance of a swap occurring between them, and the more likely they are to be inherited together.