In one of his classic experiment using pea color, Mendel conducted two genetic crosses. In the first cross the parent plants were either yellow (Y) or green (y) for seed color. The first cross produced a filial 1 generation of all yellow peas. In the second cross, Mendel bred plants from the filial 1 generation and this second cross produced different results: one of every four plants had green seeds.

Question

From these genetic crosses, Mendel developed what hypotheses?
Responses
A An organism inherits two genes for any trait, one from each parent.An organism inherits two genes for any trait, one from each parent.
B For any trait, one inheritable factor may be dominant and mask the other factor..For any trait, one inheritable factor may be dominant and mask the other factor..
C In any genetic cross, a sperm or egg carries only one inheritable factor for each trait in the offspring.In any genetic cross, a sperm or egg carries only one inheritable factor for each trait in the offspring.
D If inheritable factors come from parents, then there is only a chance that offspring will inherit those factors.

Answer 1

Based on Mendel's experiments with pea color, he developed several key hypotheses about heredity.

The responses you provided relate well to his findings. Here's how they correspond to Mendel's principles:

• A: This statement reflects Mendel's idea that organisms inherit two alleles for any trait, one from each parent. This relates to his observation of the F1 generation.

• B: This statement captures the concept of dominance, where one allele (the dominant one) can mask the expression of another allele (the recessive one). This is evident in the F1 generation where all seeds were yellow, indicating yellow is dominant over green.

• C: This statement relates to what we now call the law of segregation, where during the formation of gametes, the two alleles for a trait separate so that each gamete carries only one allele.

• D: This speaks to the probabilistic nature of inheritance; while certain factors are inherited, the specific combination in the offspring can vary based on chance.

While all of these responses reflect Mendel's findings, A and B are foundational hypotheses of Mendelian genetics. However, the most directly applicable to his results from the crosses you described would be:

B: For any trait, one inheritable factor may be dominant and mask the other factor.

This captures the essence of his conclusions regarding dominant and recessive traits based on both the F1 and F2 generations he observed.