The researchers studied the changes in the community structure of small animals living in Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, China. They looked at how many different species were there, how many animals there were, and how much they weighed. They found that between 2001 and 2005, the number of species decreased, then increased again. The amount of animals also went down and then up. Some types of animals became more common in certain areas over time. The researchers concluded that the creek's animal community went through a fast recovery in the early 2000s, followed by a slower one in the mid-2000s.