scientific theory of evolution

Charles darwin

1809-1882 English naturalist and scientist whose theory of evolution through natural selection was first published in 'On The Origin of the Species" in 1859. English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection

thomas malthus

18th century English intellectual who warned that population growth threatened future generations because, in his view, population growth would always outstrip increases in agricultural production.

charles lyell

A geologist who believed that natural processes over a long period of time were responsible for changes to the earth's surface

natural selecton

A principal set forth by Darwin that some organisms are more adaptable to the environment than others in proper terms, "survival of the fittest"

evolution

A process in which new species develop from preexisting species (biological evolution or macroevolution); a change in the allele frequencies of a population of organisms from generation to generation (genetic evolution or microevolution).

Alfred Russel Wallace

British naturalist who developed a hypothesis of natural selection similar to Darwin's

gregor mendel

Father of genetics

jean baptiste de lamarck

French naturalist who offered the first scientific explanation of evolution. His hypothesis was that evolution proceeds by inheritance of acquired characteristics but was later rejected when it was found only heritable traits are passed on. published in 1809. had a transformational concept of evolution.

macro evolution

Large-scale evolutionary patterns and processes that occur over long periods of time

micro evolution

Small changes within the species of a gene pool

phylogeny

Study of evolutionary history

Carl Von Linne

invented System Naturae (binomial system for naming species) The scientist best known for establishing the basic rules for taxonomic categories.