Mendelian inheritance

Mendelian inheritance (or Mendelian genetics or Mendelism) is a set of primary tenets that underlie much of genetics developed by Gregor Mendel in the latter part of the 19th century. Mendel (1822-1884), an Austrian monk, was interested in understanding variances in plants, and between 1856 and 1863 cultivated and tested some 28,000 pea plants. His experiments brought forth two generalizations which later became known as Mendel's Laws of Heredity or Mendelian inheritance. These are described in his paper "Experiments on Plant Hybridization" that was read to the Natural History Society of Brunn on February 8 and March 8, 1865, and was published in 1866.

Related Topics:
Genetics - Gregor Mendel - 19th century - Austria - Monk - 1856 - 1863 - Experiments on Plant Hybridization - Natural History Society of Brunn - February 8 - March 8 - 1865 - 1866

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Before Gregor Mendel formulated his theories of genetics in 1865, the prevailing theory of biological inheritance was that of blending inheritance, in which the sperm and egg of parent organisms contained a sampling of the parent's "essence" and that they somehow blended together to form the pattern for the offspring. This theory accounted for the fact that offspring tended to resemble their parents without all members of a population eventually averaging themselves out.

Related Topics:
Genetics - Biological inheritance - Sperm - Egg

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Mendel proposed instead a theory of particulate inheritance, in which characteristics were determined by discrete units of inheritance that were passed intact from one generation to the next. These units would later come to be known as genes, though Mendel did not coin the term himself. Mendel based his theory on experiments involving the cross-pollination between two plants or self-pollination with a single plant. Based on many years of careful, tedious breeding experiments, Mendel developed several fundamental laws of Mendelian inheritance.

Related Topics:
Gene - Pollination

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