Gregor Mendel's Contribution to Science

Main Findings of Gregor Mendel's Experiments

Mendel found evidence that traits are determined by discrete units of inheritance, which we now know as genes. He discovered that these units exist in pairs, with one inherited from each parent. This laid the foundation for our understanding of genetics.

Mendel also observed that some traits are dominant over others, which is now known as Mendelian inheritance. For example, in his experiments with pea plants, he found that the trait for tall plants (T) was dominant over the trait for short plants (t).

Furthermore, Mendel's experiments revealed the principles of segregation and independent assortment. Segregation refers to the separation of alleles during gamete formation, while independent assortment describes how different genes are inherited independently of each other.