Mendel's Joyful Experiments with Pea Plants

What were Mendel's experiments all about?

A. Explain Mendel's experiments.
B. List three examples of traits Mendel investigated.
C. Explain what is meant by the term purebred.

Mendel's Joyful Experiments

Mendel's experiments, also known as Mendelian genetics or Mendelian inheritance, involved studying the patterns of inheritance in pea plants.

Mendel carefully selected traits that exhibited clear variations and could be easily observed and controlled. He cross-pollinated pea plants with different traits and tracked the inheritance of these traits over several generations.

Examples of Traits Investigated by Mendel

Three examples of traits that Mendel investigated in pea plants are:

• Flower Color: Mendel studied the inheritance of flower color in peas, which can be either purple or white.
• Seed Texture: Mendel examined the inheritance of seed texture, which can be either smooth or wrinkled.
• Plant Height: Mendel also investigated the inheritance of plant height, which can be either tall or short.

Understanding Purebred Organisms

The term "purebred" refers to an organism that is homozygous for a particular trait, meaning it carries two identical alleles for that trait.

In the context of Mendelian genetics, purebred organisms are true-breeding and will consistently produce offspring with the same trait when self-fertilized or crossed with another purebred organism with the same trait.