How did Mendel’s approach to answering scientific questions differ from that of his

contemporaries?

Mendel’s approach to answering scientific questions varied from his contemporaries because he chose to concentrate on only seven characteristics of inheritance. His contemporaries were studying inheritance traits, or factors, on a much larger scale. Mendel also did something that none of his contemporaries never had, he utilized mathematical analysis to calculate the ratio of offspring that would show each trait that he was studying.

How did his novel approach contribute to his success in describing how traits are inherited?

What advantages did he enjoy by choosing to study the garden pea?

Because his study was so focused, and he was using mathematical analysis to calculate the offspring of the parent pea plants, Mendel was more successful than his contemporaries when studying traits, or factors, of inheritance because he was able to concentrate on a plant that went through generations quickly.

*** I have put in what I have been able to learn from my text book but I am unsure about the answers that I already have and have no idea about the answers to the other questions. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

You are on the right track with your answers so far. To further explain:

Mendel's novel approach of focusing on a small number of traits and using mathematical analysis played a crucial role in his success in describing how traits are inherited. By narrowing down his study to only seven characteristics, Mendel was able to carefully observe and analyze the patterns of inheritance without the overwhelming complexity of studying numerous traits simultaneously. This allowed him to establish clear relationships between the traits and make accurate predictions about their inheritance. Additionally, Mendel's use of mathematics enabled him to quantify and calculate the ratios of different trait combinations, providing further evidence for his theories.

As for the advantages of studying the garden pea, Mendel chose this particular plant for several reasons. First, the garden pea (Pisum sativum) has easily identifiable traits, such as flower color, seed shape, and pod color, which exhibit clear variations. This made it convenient for Mendel to track and distinguish different traits throughout his experiments. Second, peas are self-fertilizing plants, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive organs in the same flower. This allowed Mendel to control and ensure the purity of the parental lines, which was essential for his accurate observations and calculations. Finally, garden peas have a short generation time, enabling Mendel to observe multiple generations within a relatively short period. This rapid turnover of generations facilitated Mendel's ability to gather ample data and observe the inheritance patterns over time.

By combining his focused approach and the advantages offered by the garden pea, Mendel was able to lay the foundation for the modern science of genetics and provide a profound understanding of how traits are inherited.