Food/Biotechnology Link Station #2: Time Period = 1 A.D.–1900 A.D. An Introduction to Mendelian Genetics Do you play with your food? Most of us get in trouble for playing with food, but Gregor Mendel didn't. In fact, Mendel spent his life playing with peas. He noticed that not all peas looked alike and that some characteristics or traits showed up more often than others. In other words, some traits are "dominant" over others. Mendel also recognized that many peas from the same family had similar characteristics. He then began to mix or breed families of peas with desirable traits such as richer color, better texture and more flavor. This mixing to produce a better crop is called classical breeding.

Student Challenge Questions Station #2: Time Period = 1 A.D.–1900 A.D. 1. Some traits are dominant over others. However, simply because a trait is dominant does not necessarily mean it is desirable. If you were a plant breeder and wanted your plants to express (have the phenotype of) a recessive trait, how would you conduct your breeding experiments? 2. For the following foods, list one characteristic, or desirable trait that may have been "bred" for in that food: oranges grapes turkeys

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