Difference between Epistasis and Linkage

  

Epistasis:

• Involves interactions between genes at different loci.
• Affects phenotypic expression by masking or modifying the effects of other genes.
• Does not necessarily involve physical proximity on a chromosome.

Linkage:

• Involves genes located close together on the same chromosome.
• Affects the inheritance patterns of genes, causing them to be inherited together more frequently than would be expected by independent assortment.
• Does not involve gene interaction in terms of phenotypic expression.