Urban flower gardens are growing in popularity, and have the potential to contribute significantly to pollinator habitat.  However, it is unknown whether these gardens provide a safe haven for declining populations or create low quality habitat that contributes little to conservation. Monarch butterflies are abundant in urban gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area. One concern is that monarch caterpillars in cities experience increased risk of predation by human-associated animals such as paper wasps and yellow jackets.

Many wine-growing regions worldwide are also biodiversity hotspots, including California, which supports an unparalleled endemic insect fauna. However, the insect communities that colonize vineyards are poorly described. A subset of vineyard-dwelling insect species are likely to protect grapevines from pests through biological control.

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.