Stephen Alfred Forbes Founds Aquatic Ecosystem Science

In 1887 Stephen Alfred Forbes, State Entomologist of Illinois and Professor of Zoology and Entomology at Illinois State University, published "The Lake as a Microcosm" in the Bulletin of the Scientific Association of Peoria, Illinois (1887) 77-87. A pioneer of aquatic ecosystem science, Forbes was the first to apply ecological principles to limnology. He emphasized population regulation and the dynamic nature of the community.