Mendel accounted for the observation that traits which had disappeared in the F₁ generation reappeared in the F₂ generation by proposing that
A) new mutations were frequently generated in the F₂ progeny, "reinventing" traits that had been lost in the F₁.
B) the mechanism controlling the appearance of traits was different between the F₁ and the F₂ plants.
C) traits can be dominant or recessive, and the recessive traits were obscured by the dominant ones in the F₁.
D) the traits were lost in the F₁ due to dominance of the parental traits.
E) members of the F₁ generation had only one allele for each trait, but members of the F₂ had two alleles for each trait.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mendel proposed that traits can be dominant or recessive, and the recessive traits were obscured by the dominant ones in the F₁ generation. In the F₂ generation, the recessive traits reappeared because they could be expressed when an organism inherited two copies of the recessive allele. This idea became known as the law of segregation.

Mendel Accounted for the Observation That Traits Which Had Disappeared