Students will learn about Mendelian laws, which are the foundational principles of classical genetics established by Gregor Mendel. The key concepts include:

• Law of Segregation: This principle states that each individual has two alleles for each gene, one inherited from each parent. During gamete formation (sperm and egg), these alleles separate, so each gamete carries only one allele for each gene. When fertilization occurs, the offspring inherits one allele from each parent.

• Law of Independent Assortment: This principle asserts that genes for different traits are passed independently of one another from parents to offspring. For example, the inheritance of one trait (such as flower color) does not influence the inheritance of another trait (such as seed shape), assuming the genes are located on different chromosomes.

• Law of Dominance: This principle indicates that in a pair of alleles, one allele may be dominant and express its trait, while the other is recessive and only expresses its trait when the dominant allele is not present. For example, a dominant allele for tall plants will mask the effect of a recessive allele for short plants.