trating that the tallness gene is dominant. Mendel went on to interbreed the first generation of tall peas and found that thesecond generation turned out in a ratio of three tall to each short offspring. He then perceivedthat the genes paired into AA, Aa, and aa, (“A” representing the dominant gene and “a”representing the recessive) Continuing his work he also concluded that AA pea plants pollinatedwith other AA pea plants produced all tall offsprings, and aa plants produced pure short plants,and Aa or hybrid tall plants produced the same 3:1 ration offspring. This proved to Mendel thattraits did not mix, as it was believed in the past. From these findings he the formulated hissecond law. The Law of Independent Assortment stated that the expression of a gene for anysingle characteristic is usually not influenced by the appearance of another characteristic. The following chart explains how the 3:1 ratio in conceived:AaAAAAaaAaaaBy the 1870’s Mendel’s work also extended into animals, he did manage to breed beesthat were excellent honey producer. They only problem was that they were so vicious they hadto be destroyed. Once he began working with animals his Monastery began to limit his studies,some say that his study of elements of heredity could, leave the door open for the Darwiniantheory of evolution, which contradicted the principles of the Monastery and the Catholicreligion. So on January 6, 1884 Gregor Mendel died at the age of sixty-one, still a monk and aforgotten scientist....
