distributive segregation
distributive segregation
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.