Answer :
Mendel's results from the F1 generation rejected the blended inheritance hypothesis in several key ways:
1. **Uniformity in the F1 Generation**: When Mendel crossed two purebred pea plants with contrasting traits (such as tall and short), he found that all the offspring in the F1 generation were hybrids and displayed only one of the parental traits. For example, all the plants were tall. This contradicted the blended inheritance hypothesis, which would have predicted that the offspring would exhibit an intermediate blend of the parental traits.
2. **Reappearance of Hidden Traits in the F2 Generation**: When Mendel allowed the F1 hybrids to self-pollinate and produced the F2 generation, he observed a 3:1 ratio of dominant to recessive traits. For example, in the case of height, approximately 75% of the plants were tall, and 25% were short. This segregation of traits in the F2 generation contradicted the blended inheritance hypothesis, which would have predicted a continuous range of intermediate heights rather than distinct tall and short phenotypes.
3. **Consistency Across Multiple Traits**: Mendel's experiments extended beyond just height. He studied various other traits in pea plants, such as flower color, seed shape, and seed color, and consistently observed similar patterns of inheritance. In each case, he found that traits were inherited independently and followed the same principles of dominance, segregation, and independent assortment.
These results led Mendel to propose his laws of inheritance, including the law of segregation (which states that alleles segregate randomly during gamete formation) and the law of independent assortment (which states that alleles for different traits segregate independently of one another). These laws provided a clear explanation for the patterns of inheritance observed in his experiments and refuted the blended inheritance hypothesis, paving the way for the modern understanding of genetics.
1. **Uniformity in the F1 Generation**: When Mendel crossed two purebred pea plants with contrasting traits (such as tall and short), he found that all the offspring in the F1 generation were hybrids and displayed only one of the parental traits. For example, all the plants were tall. This contradicted the blended inheritance hypothesis, which would have predicted that the offspring would exhibit an intermediate blend of the parental traits.
2. **Reappearance of Hidden Traits in the F2 Generation**: When Mendel allowed the F1 hybrids to self-pollinate and produced the F2 generation, he observed a 3:1 ratio of dominant to recessive traits. For example, in the case of height, approximately 75% of the plants were tall, and 25% were short. This segregation of traits in the F2 generation contradicted the blended inheritance hypothesis, which would have predicted a continuous range of intermediate heights rather than distinct tall and short phenotypes.
3. **Consistency Across Multiple Traits**: Mendel's experiments extended beyond just height. He studied various other traits in pea plants, such as flower color, seed shape, and seed color, and consistently observed similar patterns of inheritance. In each case, he found that traits were inherited independently and followed the same principles of dominance, segregation, and independent assortment.
These results led Mendel to propose his laws of inheritance, including the law of segregation (which states that alleles segregate randomly during gamete formation) and the law of independent assortment (which states that alleles for different traits segregate independently of one another). These laws provided a clear explanation for the patterns of inheritance observed in his experiments and refuted the blended inheritance hypothesis, paving the way for the modern understanding of genetics.
