What genetic process creates new allele combinations?

The process that creates new allele combinations is crossing over. This occurs during prophase I of meiosis when homologous chromosomes exchange segments of their DNA. As a result, the alleles that are present on each chromosome can be shuffled, creating new combinations of alleles in the resulting gametes. This genetic recombination is crucial for increasing genetic diversity within a population, as it allows for various combinations of traits to be inherited by offspring.

While mutation is a source of new alleles, it typically leads to changes in individual genes rather than the combinations of alleles. Segregation involves the separation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis, ensuring that each gamete receives only one allele from each gene, but it does not create new combinations in the way that crossing over does. Linkage refers to the tendency of genes located close to each other on a chromosome to be inherited together, which can lead to more uniform allele combinations rather than the diversity produced by crossing over.