Due to their secretive lifestyle, there is still much research to be done about the California Tiger Salamander. However, several scientists have hypothesized that these salamanders play a major role in nutrient cycling. Much of the land the California Tiger Salamander inhabits is near or in land designated for agriculture. A key ingredient to optimizing crop yields and creating quality food is soil. A study conducted by scientists Robert D. Davic and Hartwell H. Welsh at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 found that there is an important linkage of the California Tiger Salamander’s “to long-term retention of nitrogen compounds from leaf litter and potential regulation of the carbon-nitrogen cycles in forests.” Without this role of the California Tiger Salamander, farmer’s yields may decrease, negatively affecting their own livelihood and causing an increase in food prices and risk of food scarcity.