Mendel's experiments established the principle of genetics, including which concept?

Mendel's experiments established the principle of genetics, including which concept?

• A. Genetic drift
• B. Gene flow
• C. Dominant and recessive traits
• D. Mutation rates

Answer: (C)

Dominant and recessive traits expressed through discrete alleles are the central idea Mendel revealed. He showed that genes come in alternative forms, and some forms mask others in offspring. In his pea crosses, true-breeding tall plants mated with true-breeding short plants produced all tall offspring in the first generation, indicating the tall trait is dominant. When those tall offspring were interbred, the next generation included short plants again in a predictable proportion, showing that each plant carries two alleles and the combination determines the visible trait. During reproduction, alleles separate into gametes, so offspring receive one allele from each parent. This work established how dominant and recessive traits are inherited and how traits are passed in a predictable pattern. The other topics—genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation rates—are important in genetics but come from later studies beyond Mendel’s experiments.

Dominant and recessive traits expressed through discrete alleles are the central idea Mendel revealed. He showed that genes come in alternative forms, and some forms mask others in offspring. In his pea crosses, true-breeding tall plants mated with true-breeding short plants produced all tall offspring in the first generation, indicating the tall trait is dominant. When those tall offspring were interbred, the next generation included short plants again in a predictable proportion, showing that each plant carries two alleles and the combination determines the visible trait. During reproduction, alleles separate into gametes, so offspring receive one allele from each parent. This work established how dominant and recessive traits are inherited and how traits are passed in a predictable pattern. The other topics—genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation rates—are important in genetics but come from later studies beyond Mendel’s experiments.