Concept explainers
Why did Mendel’s work refute the idea of blending inheritance?
To review:
The reason as to why Mendel refuted the idea of blending inheritance.
Introduction:
Mendel worked on pea plants and conducted various crosses (Monohybrid and Dihybrid) and concluded several results such as the law of dominance, the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. Darwin’s Pangenesis was also based on this concept but Mendel, on the basis of his monohybrid cross hypothesis, proved that the offspring are of parental character and do not differ from generation-to-generation.
Explanation of Solution
The theory of blending inheritance is a superseded theory which states that when a character is passed on from parents to offspring, it produces an intermediate character in the offspring. However, Mendel refuted this theory by conducting his monohybrid crosson a pea plant’sheight. The offsprings produced were either tall or short, while no intermediate character was seen or reported.
After conducting his experiment Mendel observed that in the F1 (first filial) generation, all the plants were tall. More convincing results were observed in the F2 (second filial) generation. Three-fourth (3/4) of the plants were tall and one-fourth (1/4) were dwarf, that is, both the F1 and F2 generations showed that plants were similar to their parental generation.
Therefore, it can be concluded that when a character is inherited by the offspring from the parents, it produces its full character and no intermediate effect is seen. Thus, Mendel’s work refuted the idea of blending inheritance.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 2 Solutions
Genetics: Analysis and Principles
- Who was Gregor Mendel? Why is he important in the history of science, and more specifically, in the history of Darwin's theory of evolution?arrow_forwardWhat advantages were provided by Mendel’s choice of the garden pea in his experiments?arrow_forwardWhat was the key reason that many biologists found protein better than DNA as a candidate for Mendel’s inherited “factors”?arrow_forward
- Which is a non Mendelian trait?arrow_forwardWhy was Mendel’s success dependent on his studying characteristics that exhibit only two easily distinguished phenotypes, such as white versus gray seed coats and round versus wrinkled seeds? Would he have been less successful if he had instead studied traits such as seed weight or leaf length, which vary much more in their phenotype?arrow_forwardIn Mendel's experiments, he obtained the following results: Which phenotypes can be said to be dominant?arrow_forward
- Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)BiologyISBN:9780134580999Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. HoehnPublisher:PEARSONBiology 2eBiologyISBN:9781947172517Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann ClarkPublisher:OpenStaxAnatomy & PhysiologyBiologyISBN:9781259398629Author:McKinley, Michael P., O'loughlin, Valerie Dean, Bidle, Theresa StouterPublisher:Mcgraw Hill Education,
- Molecular Biology of the Cell (Sixth Edition)BiologyISBN:9780815344322Author:Bruce Alberts, Alexander D. Johnson, Julian Lewis, David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter WalterPublisher:W. W. Norton & CompanyLaboratory Manual For Human Anatomy & PhysiologyBiologyISBN:9781260159363Author:Martin, Terry R., Prentice-craver, CynthiaPublisher:McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.Inquiry Into Life (16th Edition)BiologyISBN:9781260231700Author:Sylvia S. Mader, Michael WindelspechtPublisher:McGraw Hill Education