Final answer:
Subsequent studies like the one carried out by Morgan and Sturtevant in 1911 demonstrated exceptions to Mendel's laws, challenging his principle of independent assortment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mendel's experiments with pea plants did not prove him wrong, but subsequent studies like the one carried out by Morgan and Sturtevant in 1911 demonstrated exceptions to Mendel's laws. These studies showed evidence of genetic linkage, which refers to the tendency of genes to be inherited together because they are physically located close to each other on the same chromosome. This discovery challenged Mendel's principle of independent assortment, which states that different traits are inherited independently of each other.