Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of dominant and recessive traits through his pea plant experiments. He found that each organism contains a pair of factors for each trait, with the dominant factor masking the recessive if both are present. During gamete formation, the law of segregation states that only one of the pair of factors is passed into each gamete. Additionally, the law of independent assortment showed that the factors for each trait separate independently from other traits during gamete formation.
2. Mendels Discovery of Dominant & Recessive Factors for Traits Dominant factor- The factor for a trait that masks the appearance for the other trait in a pair (If an organism has one of each factor this would be the one to appear (Purple flower color) Recessive factor- The factor that is masked by the dominant factor if it is present (White flower color)
3. Law of Segregation Each cell has two (one pair) of factors for each trait. However during the formation of sex cells only one of the two factors is located in each cell X X X X Gametes Brown Eyes Blue Eyes
4. Law of Independent Assortment Factors separate independently of one another during the formation of gametes X X X X X X X X X X X X or or or Brown eyes Blue eyes Curly hair Straight hair
