Mendelian inheritance, principles of heredity formulated by Austrian-born botanist, teacher, and Augustinian prelate Gregor Mendel in 1865. These principles form what is known as the system of particulate inheritance by units, or genes.

In his monastery garden, Mendel performed thousands of crosses with pea plants, discovering how characteristics are passed down from one generation to the next — namely, dominant and recessive traits. Mendel’s early experiments provided the basis of modern genetics.

Before Gregor Mendel, theories for a hereditary mechanism were based largely on logic and speculation, not on experimentation. In his monastery garden, Mendel carried out a large number of cross-pollination experiments between variants of the garden pea, which he obtained as pure-breeding lines.

Explore Mendel's laws of inheritance and learn why he used pea plants for his genetic experiments. Discover Mendel's key findings, including his laws of segregation and independent assortment, along with exceptions and extensions to these laws.

Mendel’s idea was that distinct differences between individuals are determined by differences in single yet powerful hereditary factors. These single hereditary factors were identified as genes. Copies of genes are transmitted through sperm and egg and guide the development of the offspring.