Chapter 10.2, Problem 6MI

Summary Introduction

To infer:

The reason for Mendel using cross- pollination to study inheritance

Introduction:

The study of heredity is called genetics. Gregor Mendel was a mathematician who studied how some characteristics are passed from parent to offspring while others do not. Heredity is passing on of characteristics from parent to offspring. These characteristics are known as traits.

Answer to Problem 6MI

By using cross pollination in his experiments, Mendel was sure of the parents of plants in his cross. He wanted to create plants that had traits of both parent plants.

Explanation of Solution

In peas, both organs are located in the same flower and are tightly enclosed by petals. This prevents pollen from other flowers from entering the pea flower. So pollen grains are pollinated in the same flower. Peas normally reproduce by self- pollination; that is male gametes and female gametes come from same plant.

When Mendel performed experiments on garden peas, he found that the seeds of peas carried the traits of the plants between which pollination occurred. He cross pollinated many plants and found that the seeds had traits of two different plants. He produced hybrids of plants which had different forms of a trait such as tall and dwarf plants. This way he got plants with desired traits.

When he wanted to cross- pollinate, he opened the petals of one flower and removed the male anthers from it. He then dusted the female organ with pollen from the plant he wished to cross it with. This way he achieved cross pollinated hybrids.