How are traits passed from parents to offspring according to Mendel's experiments?

• A. Through the direct transfer of blood from parents to offspring
• B. By the offspring choosing traits from each parent
• C. By blending the traits of both parents
• D. Through the inheritance of discrete units called genes

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that Gregor Mendel is known as the father of genetics due to his pioneering work on inheritance patterns using pea plants.
2. Mendel's experiments demonstrated that traits are passed from parents to offspring through discrete units, which we now call genes.
3. Mendel proposed the concept of alleles, which are different forms of a gene that can exist at a specific locus on a chromosome.
4. According to Mendel's laws, each parent contributes one allele for each trait, and the combination of these alleles determines the offspring's traits.
5. Mendel's Law of Segregation states that during the formation of gametes, the alleles for a trait separate so that each gamete carries only one allele for each trait.