What type of organism did Mendel use for his genetic experiments?

Mendel used pea plants for his genetic experiments primarily because they have several advantageous features that make them ideal for studying inheritance patterns. One key reason is that pea plants have distinct and easily observable traits, such as flower color, seed shape, and pod appearance. This allowed Mendel to track how these traits were passed on from one generation to the next.

Additionally, pea plants can self-fertilize, which helps in maintaining genetic consistency while also allowing for controlled cross-pollination when desired. This capability enabled Mendel to create purebred lines of peas and to systematically explore the inheritance of specific traits through deliberate breeding experiments.

Furthermore, the short generation time and the ability to produce numerous offspring made pea plants particularly suitable for his studies. These conditions facilitated Mendel's ability to identify patterns of inheritance, leading to the formulation of his foundational principles of genetics.

The other options, such as fruit flies or rats, while extensively used in genetic research later on, were not the organisms Mendel selected for his original experiments. Pea plants remain deeply significant in the history of genetics due to Mendel's pioneering work with them.