Biology Unit 10 Vocab Review

French naturalist who proposed the idea of acquired traits

Ship that took Charles Darwin on his expedition around the world

Explains how characteristics are passed from one generation to the next

The study of the physical features of Earth and its atmosphere

Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Competition among members of a species for food, living space, and the other necessities of life

Inherited characteristic that increases an organism’s chance of survival

Scientist who also proposed the idea of natural selection and wrote to Charles Darwin about his ideas

A work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology

Selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms

Organ that serves no useful function in an organism 

Change in a kind of organism over time

Any difference between cells, individual organisms, or groups of organisms of any species caused either by genetics

Structures that have different mature forms in different organisms but develop from the same embryonic tissues

Specific characteristic that varies from one individual to another

Principle that all living things have a common ancestor

Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully

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

A scientist that wrote an essay predicting that the human population will grow faster than the resources it needs.

Scientist that reinforced the ideas of James Hutton in his writing, Principles of Geology

Scientist that proposed that the Earth was shaped by geologic forces that took place over long periods of time

Principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time

Preserved remains of an ancient organism

Well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations