What does the F1 generation represent in Mendelian genetics?

In Mendelian genetics, the F1 generation represents the first generation of offspring that result from a cross between two parental organisms, often referred to as the P generation. This initial cross typically involves individuals with contrasting traits, such as tall and short plants in a pea plant experiment. The resulting F1 generation is significant because it shows the dominant traits passed on from the parent organisms and helps researchers understand the inheritance patterns of those traits. In subsequent generations, like the F2 generation, the offspring can exhibit a mix of the dominant and recessive traits, revealing patterns of inheritance further, but the F1 generation itself is solely the immediate outcome of the first cross.