Final answer:
Gregor Mendel's experiments with pea plants using monohybrid crosses revealed foundational principles of genetics, including the concepts of dominant and recessive traits, and the segregation of genes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The work of Gregor Mendel involving monohybrid crosses in pea plants laid the foundation for the field of genetics. He investigated seven distinct plant characteristics, each presenting two contrasting traits. Among these were the flower colors (violet vs. white), seed shapes (round vs. wrinkled), and pea pod colors (yellow vs. green). Mendel's experiments generated numerous F1 and F2 plants, with his published results showing consistent patterns of inheritance. His discovery of dominant and recessive traits helped formulate the basic principles of heredity and segregation of genes.
Mendel performed the crucial experiments by crossing purebred pea plants with different characteristics and then analyzing the traits of the offspring in subsequent F1 and F2 generations. His observations revealed that traits were not blended but passed down as discrete units, leading to the establishment of Mendel's Laws of Inheritance. These findings became essential in understanding genetic inheritance patterns in all organisms.