![Diagram of Mendel’s Inheritance of a single trait in peas.](http://static.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/images/000/002/480/full/inheritance_of_a_single_trait_in_peas_oversize20161202-11171-pe4mz5.jpg?1674168251)
Mendel followed the inheritance of 7 pea traits. Dominant traits, like round peas, appeared in the first-generation hybrids (F1), whereas recessive traits, like wrinkled peas, were masked. However, recessive traits reappeared in the second generation (F2). Each individual carries a pair of factors for each trait, and they separate from each other during fertilisation. This is the basis of Mendel’s principle of segregation.