Gregor Mendel chose pea plants for his groundbreaking experiments because they had clear contrasting traits like tall versus short height. His careful study of how these traits were inherited laid the foundation for our understanding of genetics and established the principles of heredity.
đŦ Key Concepts
Pea plants have easily observable contrasting traits
Self-fertilization allows controlled breeding
Tall vs short height controlled by single gene
Mendel studied inheritance patterns across generations
Monohybrid Cross: Tall à Short
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F2 Generation Ratio
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3 Tall : 1 Short (3:1 ratio)
Mendel's Discovery!
Mendel counted over 8,000 pea plants across seven years of experiments! His mathematical approach to biology was revolutionary and established genetics as a quantitative science.
đ¯ Learning Objectives
Understand how Mendel's pea plant experiments revealed the basic principles of inheritance, including dominant and recessive traits and the 3:1 ratio in F2 generations.