What is Mendelian Genetics?

Mendelian Genetics :  In 1868, an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel, first published the basics of a study we now call Mendelian genetics. Mendel observed patterns of inheritance, the distribution of parental traits to offspring.

Mendel (1822-1884) had become interested in science at an early age and studied science and math at the University of Vienna. He became a member of an Augustinian monastery, where he performed studies in breeding plants. Mendel's work with garden peas reflected a highly organized and well-planned scientific approach. Mendel was very careful in choosing the plants with which to experiment. Peas were easy to obtain, and they grew fairly rapidly, enabling Mendel to obtain results in relatively short periods of time. The pea plants Mendel chose also were true-breeding, which gave him experimental stock with known references.

Mendel was able to control the crossing of different strains by artificial means of pollination. Therefore, he knew the exact parentage of any given plant that he was studying. The beauty of Mendel's experiments was that he was one of the first scientists to analyze and interpret his results using statistics. From ratios determined from the offspring of his crosses, he was able to formulate the underlying principles (later referred to as "laws") that determine the inheritance of traits.