The Contribution of Gregor Mendel to Genetic Inheritance

What were Gregor Mendel's key contributions to science?

A. Mendel studied the pea plants he grew in his garden.

B. Mendel found evidence that there are two factors for each trait.

C. Mendel coined the word GENES to describe inherited traits.

D. Mendel formulated a hypothesis and then tested it.

Answer: B, Mendel found evidence that there are two factors for each trait.

Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian Catholic monk and naturalist. He formulated, through the work he carried out with different varieties of pea, the so-called laws of Mendel that gave rise to genetic inheritance. The first works in genetics were made by Mendel. Initially, he conducted crossings of seeds and observed the outcomes, which demonstrated different traits and forms.

From his research, Mendel found that there are two factors for each trait - dominant alleles and recessive alleles. Dominant alleles determine the effect of a gene, while recessive alleles do not have a genetic effect on the phenotype of a heterozygous individual.

Gregor Mendel's contributions can be summarized by the statement "Mendel found evidence that there are two factors for each trait", with the correct option being B. His pioneering work laid the foundation for the understanding of genetic inheritance and paved the way for further research in the field of genetics.