Mendel Used Garden Peas to Study Inheritance Patterns,but Other Plants

Multiple Choice

Mendel used garden peas to study inheritance patterns,but other plants would have worked as well.Study the characteristics of the plants below,and determine which would be the best model organism to study inheritance patterns.

A) Phalaenopsis orchids produce large,showy flowers once a year.They easily self-pollinate and produce thousands of minute seeds in their fruits.In order for orchid seeds to germinate,they must form a symbiosis with a fungus that provides it with carbohydrates,or they must be plated onto nutrient rich agar that provides a source of carbohydrates.Once germinated,plants will flower in approximately 5 years.
B) Papayas are dioecious;they produce separate male and female plants.They flower abundantly throughout the year,and female flowers give rise to large fruits with copious seeds.Once germinated,plants will flower and bear fruit in about 1 year.
C) Impatiens are common garden annuals that produce copious numbers of bright flowers throughout the growing season.Their flowers come in an array of different colors,they are self-fertile,and produce a fruit that is sensitive to the touch.When it is ripe,the lightest touch will cause the capsule to spring open and explosively release up to 100 seeds in all directions.This dramatic seed dispersal mechanism has given rise to its common name,touch-me-not.Impatiens have fast generation times,and a germinated seed can produce flowers in about 6 weeks.
D) Oak trees produce thousands of flowers every year.They are wind pollinated and many oak trees will all flower simultaneously,causing a yellow haze of pollen in the air and on the surface of lakes and ponds.The large sticky stigmas receive the airborne pollen and produce 1-seeded acorns.Once an acorn germinates,the new oak can begin to flower in 3-5 years.