Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.

Adaptation

Any inherited trait, either physical or behavior that makes an individual more apt to survive in it's environment

Mutation

Genetic diversity can be increased with changes in DNA

Limiting Factors

Conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population.

HMS Beagle

The ship that took Charles Darwin around the world to study evolution.

Overproduction

More offspring are born than can possibly survive

Struggle for Existence

Competition between living things to survive.

Genetic

Members of a population are different from one another because of this type of variation

Survival Of the Fittest

Another term for natural selection

Speciation

The evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species.

Natural Selection

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

Extinction

Species, family, or other larger group having no living members.

Habitat

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Species

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of reproducing fertile offspring

Population

All of the members of the same species living within a defined area.

Immigration

When an individual moves into a new area from a different population

emigration

When an individual leaves an area and enters a different population

Predator

An animal that naturally preys on others.

Prey

An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.

Competition

The activity or condition of competing.

artificial selection

Farmers inspired Darwin because he saw how they changed their populations of animals and plants by selecting who to breed

embryology

Darwin studied the development of vertebrate embryos and suggested that their similarities suggested common ancestory

biogeography

Darwin observed that organism's living in different geographic areas were similar, yet had adaptations that made them very fit for their particular environment. This was evidence for natural selection

fossil record

Proof in the rocks that species have been evolving for long periods of time, and many had even become extinct

homologous structures

Structures that have different functions in different species, but were inherited from common ancestors

vestigial structure

Structures that were inherited from common ancestors but have been reduced in size or have no or little function