Mendel's Laws of Inheritance — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptGenetics is a branch of biology which deals with principles of inheritance and its practices. Progeny resembling the parents in morphological and physiological features has attracted the attention of many biologists. Mendel was the first to study this phenomenon systematically. While studying the pattern of inheritance in pea plants of contrasting characters, Mendel proposed the principles of inheritance, which are today referred to as 'Mendel's Laws of Inheritance'. He proposed that the 'factors' (later named as genes) regulating the characters are found in pairs known as alleles. He observed that the expression of the characters in the offspring follow a definite pattern in different-first generations (F₁), second (F₂) and so on. Some characters are dominant over others. The dominant characters are expressed when factors are in heterozygous condition (Law of Dominance). The recessive characters are only expressed in homozygous conditions. The characters never blend in heterozygous condition. A recessive character that was not expressed in heterozygous condition may be expressed again when it becomes homozygous. Hence, characters segregate while formation of gametes (Law of Segregation).
Which of the following statements regarding Mendel's experiments and laws of inheritance are correct? S1: Mendel studied seven pairs of contrasting traits in pea plants, including pod shape (inflated/constricted) and seed colour (yellow/green). S2: Leaf colour (red/green) and seed texture (rough/smooth) were among the specific traits investigated by Mendel in pea plants. S3: In a monohybrid cross between a true-breeding tall plant and a true-breeding dwarf plant, all F1 progeny express the dwarf phenotype, demonstrating the recessive nature of tallness. S4: The Law of Segregation states that during gamete formation, the alleles of a pair segregate from each other, ensuring each gamete receives only one allele with equal proportion. S5: A test cross involves crossing an organism showing a dominant phenotype (whose genotype is to be determined) with a heterozygous recessive parent. S6: Mendel's significant contribution included the application of statistical analysis and mathematical logic to biological problems, which was novel for his time.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: C — S1, S4 and S6 only
Let's evaluate each statement: S1: This statement is correct. Table 4.1 in NCERT lists 'Pod shape: Inflated/constricted' and 'Seed colour: Yellow/green' as two of the seven contrasting traits studied by Mendel in pea plants. S2: This statement is incorrect. Mendel did not study leaf colour or leaf texture. The traits listed in Table 4.1 are stem height, flower colour, flower position, pod shape, pod colour, seed shape, and seed colour. S3: This statement is incorrect. In a monohybrid cross between a true-breeding tall plant (dominant) and a true-breeding dwarf plant (recessive), all F1 progeny are tall, not dwarf. This illustrates the Law of Dominance, where the dominant trait is expressed in the F1 generation. S4: This statement is correct. The Law of Segregation, or the First Law of Inheritance, states that during gamete formation, the two alleles of a pair segregate from each other such that each gamete receives only one of the two alleles with equal probability. S5: This statement is incorrect. A test cross is performed to determine the genotype of an organism showing a dominant phenotype by crossing it with the *recessive* parent (i.e., homozygous recessive), not a heterozygous recessive parent. S6: This statement is correct. Mendel was the first to apply statistical analysis and mathematical logic to problems in biology, which was a novel approach at that time and contributed to the credibility of his data. Therefore, statements S1, S4, and S6 are correct.
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