Who discovered the basic principles of heredity through experiment on pea plant ?

Options

A. Thomas Morgan
B. Hugo de Vries
C. Mendel
D. Tschermak

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Identify the Question**: The question asks who discovered the basic principles of heredity through experiments on pea plants.

2. **Recall Relevant Information**: The scientist known for his work on heredity is Gregor Mendel. He is often referred to as the "father of genetics."

3. **Understand Mendel's Experiments**: Mendel conducted experiments on garden pea plants (Pisum sativum) for seven years. He focused on how traits were inherited from one generation to the next.

4. **Select Traits for Study**: He selected seven contrasting traits to study, such as plant height (tall vs. dwarf), flower color, and seed shape. These traits were chosen because they exhibited clear, distinct phenotypes without intermediate forms.

5. **Conducting the Experiments**: Mendel raised many generations of pea plants, observing how traits were passed on. He used a large sample size, which made his findings more reliable.

6. **Formulating Laws of Inheritance**: Through his observations, Mendel formulated three fundamental laws of inheritance:
- **Law of Dominance**: Some traits can mask the presence of others.
- **Law of Segregation**: Alleles segregate during gamete formation, ensuring that offspring inherit one allele from each parent.
- **Law of Independent Assortment**: Genes for different traits are inherited independently of one another.

7. **Conclusion**: The correct answer to the question is Gregor Mendel, who discovered the basic principles of heredity through his experiments on pea plants.

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