What was a significant outcome of Gregor Mendel's research on pea plants?

Gregor Mendel's research on pea plants led to the formulation of fundamental principles of heredity, one of which is the law of independent assortment. This law states that alleles for different traits segregate independently of one another during the formation of gametes. Mendel demonstrated this through his experiments with pea plants, where he analyzed the inheritance of various traits, such as seed shape and flower color.

By observing the patterns in how traits were passed from one generation to the next, he established that the inheritance of one trait does not influence the inheritance of another, as long as the traits are located on different chromosomes. This principle is crucial for understanding genetic variation and has laid the foundation for modern genetics.

The other options, while related to genetics, do not reflect the specific contributions of Mendel’s pea plant experiments. Amino acids are building blocks of proteins, the structure of DNA was identified later by Watson and Crick, and genetic engineering emerged as a concept long after Mendel's time. Mendel's focus on plant hybridization and his meticulous approach to statistical analysis allowed him to discover the underlying laws governing inheritance, such as the law of independent assortment.