Final answer:
Mendel discovered specific patterns in the inheritance of traits, pinpointing the presence of dominant and recessive alleles, and understanding how heritable factors (genes) are passed from parents to offspring.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mendel discovered there are laws to the ways that traits emerge in new plants. Through his experiments with pea plants, Mendel observed that when crossing plants that differed in one trait, the F1 offspring all expressed the dominant trait, while the F2 generation revealed the recessive trait in a predictable 3:1 ratio. He concluded that the traits were determined by heritable factors, now known as genes, which were passed on from both parents to the offspring. Mendel's careful breeding and observation led to the discovery of the principles of heredity, including the concepts of dominant and recessive alleles, segregation, and independent assortment.