URBAN GARDENS ARE PRODUCTIVE AND DIVERSE AGROECOSYSTEMS, THAT HAVE RAPIDLYEXPANDED IN THE US, ESPECIALLY IN UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES WITH LIMITED FOOD ACCESS. URBAN AGRICULTURE PROVIDES 15-20% OF THE GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY, PARTICULARLY VITAMIN-RICH VEGETABLES AND FRUITS, AND GARDENS PROMOTE GARDENER HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. WHILE GARDENERS OFTEN CITE NUTRITIONAL AND CULTURAL SERVICES AS PRIMARY REASONS FOR URBANCULTIVATION, THEY LACK INFORMATION ON HOW TO OPTIMIZE THESE SERVICES.EVEN THOUGH URBAN AGROECOSYSTEMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS A RANGE OF SOCIETAL NEEDS, WELACK THE SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE TO INFORM GARDENERS ABOUT HOW THEIR MANAGEMENT IMPACTS KEYECOSYSTEM SERVICES; FURTHERMORE, GARDENER PERCEPTIONS AND WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE MANAGEMENTMAY LIMIT THE IMPLEMENTATION OPPORTUNITIES DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.WE POSIT THAT A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIPBETWEEN LOCAL (E.G., GARDEN MANAGEMENT) AND LANDSCAPE (E.G., LAND USE AND NEIGHBORHOOD) FACTORS, FUNCTIONAL TRAITS OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICE PROVIDERS WITHIN GARDENS, AND ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS CAN BE USED TOREDUCE AGROECOSYSTEM VULNERABILITY, BETTER INFORM MANAGEMENT, AND OPTIMIZE ECOSYSTEM SERVICESAND RESULTING BENEFITS TO HUMANITY. URBAN GARDENS ALSO PROVIDEIDEAL MODEL AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM IN WHICH TO EXPLORE LOCAL MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPE DRIVERSOF FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.THE LONG-TERMGOALS OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ARE TO:I) DEVELOP A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE LINKBETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL FILTERS PROVIDED BY URBAN GARDEN MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPE SURROUNDINGS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, ANDII) GENERATE AND DISSEMINATE PRACTICALAND CULTURALLY RELEVANT MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO LOWER VULNERABILITY AND ENHANCE FOODPRODUCTION AND QUALITY ACROSS LOCAL AND LANDSCAPE CONTEXTS.WE WILL CONDUCT SURVEYS OF LOCAL GARDEN MANAGEMENT, LANDSCAPE SURROUNDINGS, INSECTCOMMUNITY INTERACTIONS, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ACROSS A LONG-STANDING URBAN GARDEN STUDYSYSTEM IN COASTALCALIFORNIA. FURTHER, WE ADD A MECHANISTIC SET OF FIELD AND GREENHOUSE EXPERIMENTS TO TEST HOW SPECIFIC CHANGES IN GARDEN MANAGEMENT IMPACT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, CROPYIELD AND QUALITY, AND OVERALL GARDENER WELL-BEING. SPECIFICALLY, OUR THREE RESEARCH OBJECTIVESARE TO:1)DETERMINE HOW LOCAL GARDEN MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPE FILTERS INFLUENCE (A)FUNCTIONAL TRAITS OF PLANTS, POLLINATORS, AND NATURAL ENEMIES, (B) ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS, AND(C) PROVISIONING OF PEST CONTROL, POLLINATION, AND CROP PRODUCTION SERVICES,2)INVESTIGATE HOW CHANGES INMANAGEMENT SHIFT SPECIES TRAITS AND NETWORK STRUCTURE ANDDETERMINE HOW MANAGEMENT CAN BE DESIGNED TO BOOST PEST CONTROL, POLLINATION, AND CROPPRODUCTION SERVICES, AND, 3)UNDERSTAND HOW GARDENER SOCIAL CONTEXT AND PERCEPTIONS INFLUENCE THE POTENTIAL FORIMPLEMENTING MANAGEMENT CHANGES THAT PROMOTE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.