Community gardeners correctly identified between 71 and 83 percent of arthropods according to their ecological roles as pollinators, herbivores or natural enemies. Drawing on an online image-based survey, the research examines how knowledge of these different groups is shaped by gardeners’ demographic characteristics, practical experience and participation in educational programmes.

The results show that ecological knowledge is not distributed uniformly. Female gardeners were more likely to correctly identify pollinators, while participants in the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Master Gardener programme more frequently recognized herbivores and natural enemies. The authors also examine how gardeners acquire knowledge about interactions between plants and arthropods, highlighting the potential contribution of structured and group-based learning to understanding biodiversity in urban agriculture.

These findings are relevant because community gardens can provide habitat for arthropods that support pollination and natural pest regulation. Management practices such as maintaining diverse vegetation, planting flowers, increasing canopy cover and mulching can help sustain these ecological functions. The research suggests that understanding gardeners’ knowledge, and the educational experiences that influence it, can complement such practices. It also raises a broader consideration for urban agroecology: effective biodiversity-friendly management may depend not only on identifying individual species, but also on understanding the ecological functions they perform within gardens.