Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the HMS Beagle

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to Charles Darwin's life, voyages, and theories.

Charles Darwin

Naturalist who developed the theory of evolution through natural selection.

HMS Beagle

The ship Darwin traveled on during his five-year voyage to survey the world.

Galapagos Islands

A group of islands where Darwin observed unique species that contributed to his theory of evolution.

Natural selection

The process through which species adapt to their environment; traits that improve survival and reproduction become more common.

Malthusian reasoning

The principle proposed by Thomas Malthus that populations grow exponentially while resources grow linearly, leading to struggle for survival.

Megatherium

An extinct giant ground sloth whose fossils were unearthed by Darwin in Argentina.

Transmutation of species

Darwin's early term for what later became known as the theory of evolution.

Alfred Russell Wallace

Naturalist who independently developed a theory of evolution similar to Darwin's and corresponded with him.

Struggle for existence

The competition between living things to survive in a habitat with limited resources.

Finches

A group of birds observed by Darwin on the Galapagos Islands, which displayed variations that contributed to his understanding of adaptation.