<P> Mendel discovered that, when he crossed purebred white flower and purple flower pea plants (the parental or P generation), the result was not a blend . Rather than being a mix of the two, the offspring (known as the F generation) was purple - flowered . When Mendel self - fertilized the F generation pea plants, he obtained a purple flower to white flower ratio in the F generation of 3 to 1 . The results of this cross are tabulated in the Punnett square to the right . </P> <P> He then conceived the idea of heredity units, which he called "factors". Mendel found that there are alternative forms of factors--now called genes--that account for variations in inherited characteristics . For example, the gene for flower color in pea plants exists in two forms, one for purple and the other for white . The alternative "forms" are now called alleles . For each biological trait, an organism inherits two alleles, one from each parent . These alleles may be the same or different . An organism that has two identical alleles for a gene is said to be homozygous for that gene (and is called a homozygote). An organism that has two different alleles for a gene is said be heterozygous for that gene (and is called a heterozygote). </P> <P> Mendel hypothesized that allele pairs separate randomly, or segregate, from each other during the production of gametes: egg and sperm . Because allele pairs separate during gamete production, a sperm or egg carries only one allele for each inherited trait . When sperm and egg unite at fertilization, each contributes its allele, restoring the paired condition in the offspring . This is called the Law of Segregation . Mendel also found that each pair of alleles segregates independently of the other pairs of alleles during gamete formation . This is known as the Law of Independent Assortment . </P> <P> The genotype of an individual is made up of the many alleles it possesses . An individual's physical appearance, or phenotype, is determined by its alleles as well as by its environment . The presence of an allele does not mean that the trait will be expressed in the individual that possesses it . If the two alleles of an inherited pair differ (the heterozygous condition), then one determines the organism's appearance and is called the dominant allele; the other has no noticeable effect on the organism's appearance and is called the recessive allele . Thus, in the example above the dominant purple flower allele will hide the phenotypic effects of the recessive white flower allele . This is known as the Law of Dominance but it is not a transmission law: it concerns the expression of the genotype . The upper case letters are used to represent dominant alleles whereas the lowercase letters are used to represent recessive alleles . </P>

What are mendel laws of segregation and independent assortment
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