Abstract: The ecological models play very important roles in lake eutrophication research and ecosystem management.Most of the eutrophication models have been developed since the 1960s when the eutrophication of lakes around the world drew the attention of environmentalists.Since that time,the models have evolvedfrom comparatively simple,single-layer,single-segment,single-constitute,and zero-dimension models to complex,multi-layer,multi-segment,multi-constitute,and three-dimensional models.Based on four categories of the eutrophication models,namely,very simple regression models,simple nutrient budget models,complex water quality-ecological-hydrodynamic models and structural dynamic models,the paper analyses the development and characteristics of these models and discusses the existing problems and development trends in the lake eutrophication models.