Mendel's third law (also called the law of dominance) states that one of the factors for a pair of inherited traits will be dominant and the other recessive unless both factors are recessive. Mendel's second law (the law of independent assortment) states that chance determines which factor for a particular trait is inherited. Mendel's first law (the law of segregation) states that during the formation of the reproductive cells (gametes), pairs of hereditary factors (genes) for a specific trait separate so that offspring receive one factor from each parent. This law forms the first law out of the three Mendel’s laws, as follows:

In meiosis, the paternal and maternal chromosomes get separated (according to the law of segregation) and the alleles with the hereditary character are segregated into two different gametes. This phenomenon was later on proved when the meiotic cell division process was found.

It also means that allele pairs present in egg and sperm separate or segregate during gamete formation, and randomly unite at fertilization. The law of segregation can be defined in a simple way as when the egg and sperm unite during fertilization, each contributes its allele, finally making the paired chromosome in offspring. The Law of Dominance: If there are two alleles coding for the same trait and one is dominant it will show up in the organism while the other won't. Either of the alleles will be received by the gamete. The Law of Segregation: The law states that when any individual produces gametes, the copies of a gene separate so that each gamete receives only one copy. Mendel’s finding further provided a chance to other scientists to predict the expression of traits on the basis of mathematical probabilities. His method of data analysis and incorporation of a huge sample size gave credibility to his data, which was then published in 1865. He measured only binary characteristics such as color, shape, and position of offspring, rather than quantitative characteristics. He cultivated and tested some 29000 pea plants. He conducted his experiments involving hybridization experiments in garden peas (Pisum Sativum). The principles or laws of “Heredity” were discovered by a monk named Gregor Mendel in the 19th century.

Mendel dominant traits