Mendel’s second law of inheritance is called the Law of Independent Assortment.
It explains how different traits are inherited independently of one another, meaning the inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of another.
Here’s a simple explanation:
1. Independent behavior of gene pairs:
When plants form gametes, the alleles of one gene (for example, flower color) separate independently from the alleles of another gene (for example, seed shape).
2. Random combination:
This means that new combinations of traits can appear in the offspring — traits are mixed and matched in various ways.
Example:
Mendel studied pea plants with two traits:
- Seed shape: Round (R) or Wrinkled (r)
- Seed color: Yellow (Y) or Green (y)
According to the Law of Independent Assortment, the allele a plant gets for seed shape (R or r) does not influence the allele it gets for seed color (Y or y).
So, plants can have combinations like RY, Ry, rY, or ry in their gametes.
3. Result:
This leads to genetic variation, as offspring can show new combinations of traits that were not seen in the parents.
In short:
Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment states that genes for different traits are inherited independently of each other, allowing plants to show many possible trait combinations.