Mendel proposed the law of independent assortment on the basis of __________.

Key Points

• Mendel proposed the law of independent assortment based on his experiments with dihybrid crosses.
• In his experiments, Mendel crossed plants that differed in two traits and observed the inheritance patterns of these traits in the offspring.
• The results led to the conclusion that the alleles of different genes assort independently of one another during gamete formation.
• This law is one of the fundamental principles of Mendelian genetics and explains the genetic variation observed in offspring.

Additional Information

• Mendel's laws form the foundation of classical genetics.
• He conducted his experiments on pea plants (Pisum sativum) and published his findings in 1866.
• The law of independent assortment applies only to genes located on different chromosomes or far apart on the same chromosome.
• Modern genetics has expanded on Mendel's work, incorporating the understanding of genetic linkage and recombination.
• Mendel's work was largely unrecognized during his lifetime but was rediscovered in the early 20th century, leading to the establishment of the field of genetics.