William Bateson's Diagram of Pea Heredity

This exhibit showcases William Bateson's iconic diagram of pea heredity, featured in his book "Mendel's Principles of Heredity" published in 1926. The diagram was specifically designed to illustrate the principles of Mendelian genetics. Bateson, a renowned British geneticist and evolutionary biologist, played a pivotal role in popularizing Mendel's work and establishing it as the foundation of modern genetics.

The diagram showcases the outcomes of a breeding experiment between yellow wrinkled (YW) and green round (GR) peas over two generations, providing a visual representation of Mendelian genetics in action. Bateson's diagram visually conveys the inheritance patterns of specific traits, highlighting the presence of dominant and recessive alleles in the offspring. By presenting the outcomes of controlled breeding experiments, this diagram demonstrates the principles of Mendelian genetics and how traits are passed down from one generation to the next.

Author: William Bateson

Date: 1909,

Source: Bateson, W. (1909). Mendel’s Principles of Heredity. Cambridge University Press.

© Public Domain.