1. the theory that chance is involved in evolution and that variation within a species is accidental. 2. the belief that chance rather than mere determinism operates in the cosmos. Cf. uniformitarianism. 1. Philosophy. a doctrine that the universe is governed only by rigid, unexceptionable law.
Share this set. an organism that produces its own nutrients from inorganic substances or from the environment instead of consuming other organisms. Autotroph. an organism that produces its own nutrients from inorganic substances or from the environment instead of consuming other organisms.
Autotroph. Photoautotrophs. Chemoautotrophs. An autotroph is an organism able to make its own food. Autotrophic organisms convert inorganic molecules into organic compounds. Autotrophs are referred to as primary producers, and they occupy the ecological niche at the base of all food chains. There are two categories of autotrophs, distinguished by the type of energy each uses to synthesize organic products.