What was the idea of blended inheritance and how did Mendel prove it wrong?

Blended inheritance was the idea that offspring inherit traits that are a smooth blend of their parents' traits, leading to intermediate characteristics. Gregor Mendel disproved this concept through his experiments with pea plants, demonstrating that traits are inherited as discrete units (now known as genes) rather than through blending. His observations of dominant and recessive traits showed that traits can skip generations and reappear unchanged, supporting the notion of particulate inheritance rather than blending. Mendel’s work laid the foundation for modern genetics by establishing the principles of inheritance.