CHAPTER 7.

MENDEL’S LAW OF
INHERITANCE
Quidangen, Jessica
Ragasa, Charmian
 The basic pattern of
inheritance of characters
from parents to offspring
was first illustrated by the
Augustinian monk Gregor
Mendel (1822-1884).
Using garden peas (Pisum
sativum) , Mendel showed
that “factors of inheritance”
are transferred from parents
to offspring. In modern
genetics, these “factors of
inheritance” are now
referred to as genes.
 According to Mendel, there exist a pair of
genetic material (alleles) in every organism
that segregate during gamete formation.
These genetic materials (genotype) found
in the gametes are responsible for the
observable characteristics (phenotype) of
the resulting new individual when gametes
fuse during fertilization.

The principles that govern the inheritance of

traits was illustrated by Mendel using a series
of breeding experiments observing the
inheritance of various characteristics of garden
peas.
 The success of Mendel’s experiments to explain
the basic pattern of inheritance may be attributed
to his good choice of experimental organism (Pisum
savitum) because

• Easy to grow
• Easy to artificially hybridize (self-pollinating
plants)
• Has short life cycle
• With a large number of offspring in a single
cross
• Presence of contrasting traits (alleles)
• His use of pure breeds (homozygous pure lines)
 In one of the many single traits (monohybrid)
crosses performed by Mendel, he showed that
when a pea plant with round seeds was crossed
with another pea plant with wrinkled seeds, all
offspring exhibited round seeds.
homozygous homozygous
round wrinkled
R
X rr Phenotypic Ratio: All
R
round

gamete
types R r Genotypic Ratio: All
heterozygous round
R
r
heterozygous
round
 heterozygous heterozygous
round round

Rr X Rr
gamete
types R r R r

RR Rr Rr rr

Phenotypic Ratio: 3 round : 1 wrinkled

Genotypic Ratio: 1 homozygous round : 2

heterozygous round : 1
homozygous wrinkled
 The monohybrid cross
may also be expressed using
a diagram called Punnett
Square, which was first
developed by Reginald
Punnett. In a Punnett
Square, the genotype of the
offspring produced as a
result of the various
combinations of parental
gametes. A Punnett Square
will likewise show the same
results where the
phenotypic and genotypic
ratios may easily be
identified.
When preparing a Punnett Square, all the
gamete types produced by the male parent
are lined up vertically on top of the
quadrants, whereas the gamete types
produced by the female parent are lined on
the left side of the quadrants, or vice versa.

The genotype of the offspring are then

generated by pairing the specific male and
female gametes corresponding to each
quadrant. Note that the genotypes of the
various offspring are now made up of two
chromosomes (a pair) may also be
represented by two letters (RR, Rr, or rr).
 In a monohybrid cross, Mendel showed a pair of
homologous chromosomes will segregate during
gamete formation. The separation of homologous
chromosome, including the alleles contained
therein, is now referred to as law of segregation,
the first law of heredity.
gametes produced by a heterozygous round
(Rr) male plea plant

R r
heterozygous round (Rr) female
gametes produced by a

R RR Rr
plea plant

Homozygous Round Heterozygous Round

r
Rr rr
Heterozygous Round Homozygous Round

Phenotypic Ratio: 3 round : 1 wrinkled

Genotypic Ratio: 1 Homozygous round : 2
Heterozygous round : 1 Homozygous wrinkled
 In addition to the numerous monohybrid (one-trait
inheritance) crosses performed by Mendel, he also
conducted a series of dihybrid (two-trait inheritance)
crosses. In a dihybrid cross, two different traits with
contrasting alleles will be traced at a time. When
Mendel performed a cross between a pea plant with
homozygous round and homozygous yellow seed
(RRYY) with a pea plant with homozygous wrinkled
and homozygous green seed (rryy), all offspring (first
filial generation or F1) registered round and yellow
(RrYy) seeds.
However, when a second dihybrid cross was
performed between two double heterozygous round-
yellow pea (RrYy) plants, the resulting offspring
(second filial generation or F2), showed nine round-
yellow seeds.
Mendel’s second law of heredity,
law of independent
assortment, states that a pair
of alleles will segregate or assort
independently from other alleles
during gamete formation
The contributions of Mendel to the science of genetics
can be summarized in his Mendelian postulates as
follow:

1. Unit factors in pairs

- The genetic characters are controlled by unit factors
that exist in pairs in individual organisms.
2. Dominance and recessiveness
- When two unlike unit factors responsible for a single
trait are present in an individual, one unit factor is
dominant to the other, which is said to be recessive.
3. Segregation
- During the formation of gametes, the paired unit
factors segregate randomly so that each gamete
receives one or the other with equal likelihood.
4. Independent assortment
- During gamete formation, segregating pairs of unit
factors are assorted independently of each other