Mendel discovered pairs of unit factors (now known as genes) that control traits in organisms. These unit factors segregate independently during gamete formation, leading to genetic diversity in offspring. Mendel's work laid the foundation for the modern understanding of inheritance.
Chat with our AI personalities
Unit factors exist in pair
Gregor Mendel's concept of unit characters (or hereditary units) proposes that traits are determined by discrete units of inheritance that do not blend together. These units maintain their integrity through generations and are today known as genes. This idea forms the basis of classical genetics.
Mendel used the term "factor" to describe the basic unit of heredity that determines a particular trait in an organism. We now know these factors as genes, which are segments of DNA that code for specific traits. Mendel's work laid the foundation for the field of genetics.
The fourth law of Mendel states that genes can be linked, meaning that they are inherited together and do not follow the law of independent assortment. This law explains the phenomenon of genetic linkage and how certain genes tend to be inherited together due to their physical proximity on the same chromosome.
alleles