Forbes, Stephen Alfred (1844-1930)

US naturalist. His research speciality, the food of birds and fish, gave him a broad perspective on biological interrelationships. He is credited with being one of the founders of the discipline of ecology.

He was born in Silver Creek, Illinois and served in an Illinois cavalry regiment during the Civil War. He attended medical school, but dropped out to study natural history. He worked for Illinois state institutions for most of his career, and became the state entomologist.