The researchers studied Lake Taihu's ecosystem using a model to understand how it functions. They found that the ecosystem has four trophic levels, with top predators called culters at the highest level. There are two main pathways for energy flow in the lake: detrital and grazing. The detrital pathway is more important, leading to internal pollution due to waste nutrients. The ecosystem is in a low developmental stage with high net primary production and lower connectance index. Intensive fishing is harming the ecosystem, reducing the top-down effects of predators.