page_title: Frequency-dependent foraging by pollinators
section_title: Implications
hierarchical_section_title: Frequency-dependent foraging by pollinators / Implications
caption_attribution_description: English: Lady Orchid and Lady/Monkey Orchid hybrid See 1314537 and 1314588. This photo allows a comparison of the two plants, in particular the longer "arms" and "legs" of the hybrid, taken from its other parent (see 1314523).
context_page_description: Frequency-dependent foraging is defined as the tendency of an individual to selectively forage on a certain species or morph based on its relative frequency within a population. Specifically for pollinators, this refers to the tendency to visit a particular floral morph or plant species based on its frequency within the local plant community, even if nectar rewards are equivalent amongst different morphs. Pollinators that forage in a frequency-dependent manner will exhibit flower constancy for a certain morph, but the preferred floral type will be dependent on its frequency. Additionally, frequency-dependent foraging differs from density-dependent foraging as the latter considers the absolute number of certain morphs per unit area as a factor influencing pollinator choice. Although density of a morph will be related to its frequency, common morphs are still preferred when overall plant densities are high.
context_section_description: Regardless of the mechanism, pollinators foraging in a frequency-dependent manner on common morphs will lead to assortative mating between similar phenotypes. Additionally, rare morphs may be at a disadvantage if reproductive success is correlated with number of pollinator visits, and this may lead to higher rates of selfing and ultimately inbreeding depression, in self-compatible plants. The potential for a decrease in genetic diversity due to assortative mating can have negative implications.
caption: Lady orchid (left) and naturally occurring lady/monkey hybrid (right).
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