| Definition: |
The cell cycle process in which genetic material, in the form of chromosomes, is organized and then physically separated and apportioned to two or more sets during a normally chiasmate meiosis under the condition that chiasma have not occurred between a particular pair of homologs. Distributive segregation is a backup mechanism to ensure the segregation of homologs that have failed to cross over - either as a consequence of mutation or not, as, for example, the 4th chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster (which never exchanges, presumably due to its small size) - but nevertheless segregate normally. |