Mendel performed reciprocal crosses in which he used pollen from a white-flowered plant to fertilize a purple-flowered plant and pollen from a purple-flowered plant to fertilize a white-flowered plant.What did these reciprocal crosses demonstrate?
A)The female gamete made a larger genetic contribution to the offspring than the male gamete.
B)Each parent made an equal genetic contribution to the offspring.
C)Flower color is a sex-linked trait.
D)The traits of flower color and sex assort independently.
E)The male gamete made a larger genetic contribution to the offspring than the female gamete.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reciprocal crosses involve reversing the sexes of the parents in a cross. In Mendel's reciprocal crosses, he found that in both cases, the resulting offspring had the same phenotype. This demonstrates that each parent makes an equal genetic contribution to the offspring, as the male and female gametes each contribute half of the offspring's genetic material.

Mendel Performed Reciprocal Crosses in Which He Used Pollen from a White-Flowered