In Mendel's typical monohybrid cross, how many traits are examined?

In Mendel's typical monohybrid cross, one trait is examined. This experiment focused on the inheritance of a single characteristic from parent organisms to their offspring. For example, Mendel observed traits such as flower color or seed shape in pea plants, analyzing how variations of that single trait were passed down through generations.

The term "monohybrid" specifically refers to crosses involving organisms that differ in one trait only, allowing geneticists to study the inheritance patterns easily without the complexity added by multiple traits. Therefore, focusing on one trait helps in understanding the concept of dominance, segregation, and the formation of gametes without interference from additional variables that might come from examining more traits simultaneously.

This clear focus on one trait is fundamental to Mendel's laws of inheritance, including the principle of segregation, which describes how alleles segregate into gametes during the process of meiosis. By limiting the analysis to a single trait, Mendel laid the groundwork for modern genetics.