The researchers studied the phytoplankton in Yuanxinhu, Changhu Lake in Hubei Province in spring 2012 to understand the water quality. They found 80 different species of phytoplankton, with Chlorophyta being the most common at 45%, followed by Bacillariophyta at 30% and Cyanophyta at 10%. The average biomass of phytoplankton was 4.44mg/L, indicating a mesotrophic state of water quality in the area.