Laws of Heredity

Johann Gregor Mendal (1866) contributed significantly in developing the laws of heredity. He propounded two laws of heredity, namely, ‘Law of Segregation and Dominance’ and ‘Law of Independent Assortment.’ Though he conducted all his experiments on plants, his laws are universally accepted.

Law of Segregation and Dominance 

If the traits of one gene are not manifest in one generation, it does not mean that they die. They still survive and may come to the fore or become dominant in future generations. For example, if a person has a specific kind of genetic problem, there is a possibility that his son may not express that problem explicitly, but, his grandson may show it just as he does now.

Law of Independent Assortment 

This law explains that distribution of one genetic trait does not influence the distribution of other traits. For example, in a white family, all will be white but their height may vary.