Answer the following question given this paragraph: 

For thousands of years, humans have understood that characteristics such as eye color, hair color, or even flower color are passed from one generation to the next. The passing of characteristics from parent to offspring is called heredity . Humans have long been interested in understanding heredity. Many hereditary mechanisms were developed by scholars but were not properly tested or quantified. The scientific study of genetics did not begin until the late 19 th century. In experiments with garden peas, Austrian monk Gregor Mendel described the basic patterns of inheritance. Keep in mind that while we know about DNA and its role as the genetic material, Mendel did not know of the existence of DNA. Nor did he understand the concept of the chromosome or the process of meiosis, and yet, he was still able to correctly describe basic inheritance patterns.


Q: In experiments with garden peas, austrian monk gregor mendel described the basic patterns of what?


A:
inheritance