Frost Decreases Fruit Production in a Neotropical Savanna: Implications for Frugivorous Bird Abundances

ABSTRACT Climate change is driving increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events locally and globally. For instance, severe frost events seem to be happening on average every 5 years, rather than 7 years, as previously reported in the southern limit of the Cerrado, a Neotropical savanna. Although frost effects on leaf and branch damage are relatively well studied, the effects of frost on fleshy fruit production in natural vegetation and its potential effects on frugivorous animals are largely unknown. We conducted this study in the Cerrado, where severe frost events allowed us to compare fruit production and frugivorous bird abundances before and after the disturbance, and between sites affected and non‐affected by frost. Frosts decreased fleshy fruit production and the number of plant individuals bearing fruits but had no clear effects on species richness and abundance of frugivorous birds. However, bird abundances increased locally with fruit production only in sites affected by frost. Our results suggest that frost events in Cerrado reduce fruit availability, indirectly impacting frugivorous bird abundances. These findings suggest that frosts may trigger cascading effects on seed dispersal and plant recruitment, and the broader frugivore community, especially under future scenarios of more frequent and extreme climatic events.