Question

Why was the pea plant an ideal plant for Mendel to use?

a. It produces few progeny.
b. It has characteristics for which the phenotypes are easy to differentiate.
c. It requires cross-fertilization; there is no self- fertilization.
d. It requires several seasons to complete a generation.
e. There were only a few pure varieties available.

Answer 1

Mendel chose to work with pea plants because they have easily identifiable traits, undergo self-pollination and cross-pollination, are true-breeding, and can be cultivated in large quantities. This made them ideal for his genetic experiments.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mendel chose to work with pea plants because they have easily identifiable traits and are fast-growing. Pea plants have several visible characteristics that vary, such as seed form, flower color, pod form, and stem length. These traits have two common values, making it easy to differentiate between them.

Pea plants also undergo self-pollination, meaning they can self-fertilize, or cross-pollination, where the pollen from one plant is moved to another plant's stigma. This allowed Mendel to carefully control and observe the results of crosses between different plants.

Additionally, pea plants are true-breeding, meaning they produce offspring that look like the parent. They grow to maturity within one season, allowing for several generations to be evaluated quickly. Large quantities of pea plants could also be cultivated simultaneously, ensuring that Mendel's results were not due to chance.