[1] The term switching was first coined by the ecologist Murdoch in 1969 to describe the situation where a predator eats disproportionately more of the most common type of prey.
[2] Eight years earlier in 1962 the geneticst B. C. Clarke described a similar phenomenon and called it "apostatic selection".
This opposite phenomenon has been called negative prey switching, or anti-apostatic selection when it refers to the choice between different morphs.
[10] These ultimate mechanisms help to demonstrate how prey switching and apostatic selection fit into overarching ecological theory.
In addition there are proximate mechanisms which may account for why an individual preferentially feeds on the most abundant type of prey.
From this Bergelson came up with the rule of thumb that consumers should "continue to pursue only those prey types you have successfully captured in the immediate past.
For example, predators that switch between feeding on herbivores and detritivores can link green and brown food webs.
[15] In general there have been a limited number of studies which have identified mechanisms responsible for prey switching behaviour.