Besides the results of Darwin's studies, his methods also are a great contribution to scientific history.  First, his field work in the Galapagos Island and the journals with illustrations he kept became models for others, including Audobon. Secondly, he added to the scientific practice of categorization called taxonomy, which gave us our present understanding of the dendritic taxonomy model of species.  Finally, Darwin began the reconcilation of science and religion by demonstrating how God's natural patternl can be revealed by human inquiry.  Since modern theorists such as Richard Leakey are questioning the extreme extrapolation of Darwin's ideas (that homo sapiens  is merely a natural concluion of primate evolution}, Darwin's metodologies may turn out to be a more lasting contribution than the assumed challenge to religion that many see in his work.