Pea plants can self-pollinate (sperm and eggs both come from the same plant) or they can cross-pollinate (sperm and eggs come from different plants). Gregor Mendel used this to study heredity. He found that if he took a plant that only produced yellow peas and crossed it with a plant that only produced green peas, all the offspring would only produce yellow peas.
On the other hand, if he left the offspring (all yellow pea plants) alone and let them self-pollinate, then the second generation had a ratio of 3:1 yellow to green pea plants. Thus, Mendel could demonstrate that some traits are “dominant” while others are “recessive.”
Referring to this passage, what could Gregor Mendel conclude from the result of his experiment with green and yellow pea plants?
- Green peas are a recessive trait.
- Pea plants have carbohydrates, like starch, that are coded for by their DNA.
- Inbreeding of pea plants causes mutations.
- All traits come in pairs and there is always a dominant trait and a recessive trait.