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Gregor Mendel investigated the genetics of peas - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 4
Gregor Mendel investigated the genetics of peas. He did not know about genes but showed that inherited characteristics can be dominant or recessive. (a) Explain how... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Gregor Mendel investigated the genetics of peas - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain how Mendel used homozygous tall and homozygous short pea plants to show that the tall allele is dominant to the short allele.
Answer
Mendel crossed homozygous tall pea plants (TT) with homozygous short pea plants (tt). All the offspring produced from this cross were tall, indicating that the tall phenotype is expressed. This demonstrates that the tall allele (T) is dominant over the short allele (t), as the offspring had a heterozygous genotype (Tt) and expressed the dominant trait.
Step 2
Explain why asexual reproduction in strawberries is beneficial to strawberry farmers.
Answer
Asexual reproduction in strawberries is beneficial to farmers because it allows for rapid production of new plants. This increases the overall yield without the need for seeds, reducing the time and resources required for plant propagation. Additionally, uniformity in the plants ensures consistent quality and quantity of the harvest.
Step 3
Explain why seed production is an advantage to the strawberry plant.
Answer
Seed production is advantageous to the strawberry plant as it enables genetic variation in the offspring, which may lead to increased adaptability to environmental conditions. Furthermore, seeds can be dispersed over larger areas, allowing the plant to colonize new habitats and enhance its survival and reproduction.