The European green crab wreaks havoc in California estuaries by damaging eelgrass beds, preying upon native species, and competing with other invertebrates for space. In 2009, UC Davis faculty member and EERREC trainer Ted Grosholz and colleagues began an intensive four-year eradication campaign that resulted in removal of 90% of the green crabs in the study area. However, a year later, the population rebounded to nearly triple the pre-eradication population size.

Bee pollinators are critically important for agricultural and natural ecosystems. Together, wild and managed bee species contribute to the pollination of 80 crops with an estimated annual value of >$200 billion globally, >$29 billion for US agriculture, and >$9 billion for California.

Anthropogenic effects, notably, habitat conversion from natural to managed systems, can alter interactions between plants, insects, and microbial communities; but these effects on such complex systems are poorly understood. Bacteria and yeast that live in floral nectar affect pollinator visitation and influence floral characteristics.