Final answer:
Gregor Mendel, considered the Father of Genetics, conducted experiments with pea plants, discovering the principles of genetic inheritance and laying the foundation for Mendelian genetics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Father of Genetics
Johann Gregor Mendel, a nineteenth-century monk, is known as the Father of Genetics. His groundbreaking experiments with garden peas laid the foundation for our understanding of genetic inheritance. Before the discovery of genes and chromosomes, Mendel observed that traits were passed down through generations in a predictable manner. By crossing pea plants with different characteristics, he identified dominant and recessive traits and discerned that traits are transmitted independently of each other. His methodical approach using large sample sizes - nearly 30,000 pea plants - allowed him to establish the fundamental principles of heredity which are still recognized today.
Mendel's work was not widely recognized until after his death, but his experiments form the basic principles of what we now refer to as Mendelian genetics. His findings on how traits are inherited in pea plants have been applied to many other organisms, profoundly impacting the field of biology.