Please explain why mendel chose pea plants and the specific characteristics for his studies?

Question

Please explain why mendel chose pea plants and the specific characteristics for his studies?

Answer 1

serendipity

Answer 2

I think they grow quickly so it was faster to get results.

Answer 3

He chose pea plants for two reasons: because their height is controlled by only one gene and because they grow fast. They were probably also easy to cross (pollinate).

Answer 4

I'm pretty sure he didn't just go and pick something to study.  From what I know, he happened to notice the differences and started experimenting.

Answer 5

Surely the answer is.........

1) They have a short life span so he could study many generations at a time...

2) they can be bred pure for their character......i.e genetically pure....

3) They can be self-pollinated.....as well as cross-pollinated

4) He could grow large number as they are small in size.....

5) Thay have many differing heritable traits like short,herbaceous,coloured flower.....

Source is CBSE and Maharashtra board textbooks!

Answer 6

I think it is just a co-incidence.Quoting below:

Once upon a time (1860's), in an Austrian monastery, there lived a monk named Mendel, Gregor Mendel. Monks had a lot of time on there hands and Mendel spent his time crossing pea plants. As he did this over & over & over & over & over again, he noticed some patterns to the inheritance of traits from one set of pea plants to the next. By carefully analyzing his pea plant numbers (he was really good at mathematics), he discovered three laws of inheritance.

Pea plant has distinct advantages as quoted below:

Mendel used thirty-four varieties of Pisum sativum, (sub-species and convarieties of the garden pea). This plant had been recommended by other biologists, such as Kölreuter in Germany, Seton and Goss in England, because of its significantly large flowers and wide range of variations, such as length and colour of the stem, size and form of the leaves, position/colour of the flowers, length of the flower stalk, etc. Furthermore the Pisum is an "inbreeder" plant (it is self-fertile) and a "true breeder" (the off-springs will resemble their parents, unless it is artificially fertilized, or cross-bred).

So let us call it "A happy Adventure!"

As for specific characteristics chosen by Mendel for his studies refer to th following Link.

http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/...

LAW PARENT CROSS OFFSPRING

DOMINANCE TT x tt

tall x short 100% Tt

tall

SEGREGATION Tt x Tt

tall x tall 75% tall

25% short

INDEPENDENT ASSORTMENT RrGg x RrGg

round & green x round & green 9/16 round seeds & green pods

3/16 round seeds & yellow pods

3/16 wrinkled seeds & green pods

1/16 wrinkled seeds & yellow pods

Answer 7

Probably cause they're simple organisms and grow fast. You get to see your results quicker.

Answer 8

The answer given by Malar explains everything. I will add a few more things to it. Mendel was fortunate that all the allels he selected for study are located on different chromosomes.  They are not linked to each other. So their seggregation is independent.  His work was not highlighted when he was alive. It was discovered by somebody else after his death.

Answer 9

Im not sure there was really any specific reason why he chose pea plants, but he tested the tall versus short alleles. what was dominant. also, if the leafs were smooth or all wrinkle and not so smooth