The effects of frost and fire on the traits, resources, and floral visitors of a Cerrado plant, and their impact on the plant-visitor interaction network and fruit formation

These are data from a study in which we investigated how disturbances affect plant traits, floral resources, floral visitor richness and the structure of plant-pollinator interaction networks using Byrsonima intermedia, a common shrub of the family Malpighiaceae, as a model. We compared areas affected by frost alone, frost followed by fire and the same area affected by fire two years later. We measured pollen, oil volume, buds and racemes, and recorded floral visitors. Our main hypothesis was that areas affected by fire would have higher floral visitor richness, more conspicuous plant traits and higher fruit production than areas affected by frost alone, which would show greater interaction generalization due to stronger negative impacts. The results confirmed that frost drastically reduced floral traits, visitor richness and reproductive success. In contrast, fire facilitated a faster recovery, with greater floral resources, richer pollinator communities, more specialized interactions and higher fruit production. Our results highlight that fire, despite its impact, promotes faster ecosystem recovery compared to frost, reinforcing its ecological role in the resilience of the Cerrado.