What is the name of the law stating that allele pairs separate during gamete formation?

The law stating that allele pairs separate during gamete formation is known as the Law of Segregation. This principle, first articulated by Gregor Mendel based on his experiments with pea plants, describes how the two alleles for a trait segregate from each other when gametes are formed during meiosis. As a result, each gamete carries only one allele for each trait, ensuring that offspring inherit one allele from each parent. This fundamental concept is crucial for understanding inheritance patterns and explains how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next, helping to establish the foundation of classical genetics.

The other options relate to different genetic principles: the Law of Independent Assortment refers to the separate inheritance of different traits, the Law of Dominance explains how some alleles can mask the expression of others, and the Law of Genetic Variation encompasses the overall diversity within a population’s genetic makeup. Each of these laws adds depth to our understanding of genetics but does not specifically address the segregation of allele pairs during gamete formation.