Mendel formulated the laws of heredity considering seven pairs of constrasting characters in the pea plant. If he had studied an eight pair, the law which would have been altered is

Options

A. Law of segeration
B. Law of dominance
C. Law of Independent Assortment
D. Law of unit characters

Answer

To solve the question regarding Mendel's laws of heredity and the impact of studying an eighth pair of contrasting characters in pea plants, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand Mendel's Laws**: Mendel formulated two main laws of heredity: the Law of Segregation and the Law of Independent Assortment. The Law of Independent Assortment states that alleles for different traits segregate independently of one another during gamete formation.

2. **Identify the Characters Studied**: Mendel studied seven pairs of contrasting characters in pea plants, such as flower color, seed shape, and pod color. These traits were chosen because they did not show linkage, meaning they were located on different chromosomes or far apart on the same chromosome.

3. **Consider the Impact of an Eighth Pair**: If Mendel had studied an eighth pair of characters, there is a possibility that this new character could be linked to one of the previously studied characters. Linkage occurs when genes are located close together on the same chromosome, leading to them being inherited together more frequently than expected by independent assortment.

4. **Analyze the Effect of Linkage**: If the eighth character was linked to any of the seven characters, it would disrupt the expected phenotypic ratio of 9:3:3:1 that arises from independent assortment. This ratio is derived from the combination of two traits being inherited independently.

5. **Conclude the Altered Law**: Therefore, the law that would be altered if an eighth pair of characters were studied is the **Law of Independent Assortment**. This is because the presence of linkage would affect the expected ratios of phenotypes in the offspring.

### Final Answer:
The law that would have been altered is the **Law of Independent Assortment**.

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