Question

Gregor Mendel performed crosses using true-breeding pea plants and observed the traits exhibited by the offspring. He crossed a yellow-seed male plant with a green-seed female plant. He then allowed the offspring (F generation) to self-fertilize, producing offspring (F generation). Based on his results, Mendel concluded that traits can be masked. What evidence best supports Mendel's conclusion?

Answer 1

D. the green color trait was missing from the F1 generation, but reappeared in the F2 generation supports Mendel's conclusion that traits can be masked. This observation demonstrated the principles of dominant and recessive traits, with the green trait being recessive and masked in the F1 generation by the dominant yellow trait. The reappearance of the green trait in the F2 generation showed that it was not lost but rather masked in the F1 generation.

The evidence that best supports Mendel's conclusion that traits can be masked is the observation of the F1 generation. When Mendel crossed a yellow-seed male plant with a green-seed female plant, all the offspring in the F1 generation had yellow seeds, indicating that the yellow trait was dominant over the green trait. However, when the F1 generation was allowed to self-fertilize, the F2 generation included some plants with green seeds, indicating that the green trait was still present, but had been masked in the F1 generation. This pattern of inheritance is consistent with the idea that there are dominant and recessive traits, and that dominant traits can mask the expression of recessive traits.