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The Jacuí Delta drains into Lake Guaíba which is the main source of water for more than two million people in South Brazil and has suffered from pollution with heavy metals and phosphorus. The objective of the current research is to demonstrate how the use of sediment source tracing techniques, in combination with sediment flux monitoring, can improve understanding of the sediment source contributions to one of the largest lakes in South America. The sediment flux monitoring results were based on data obtained from 12-years of records of water flow and suspended sediment concentrations. The sediment source fingerprinting approach was based on the use of geochemical tracers. Based on the study, the respective contributions of the tributaries to the sediment in Lake Guaíba were estimated to be as follows: the Jacuí River (median of 54% - interquartile range (IQR) 34–71%), the Caí River (12%, IQR 7–16%), the Sinos River (5%, IQR 1–20%), and the Gravataí River (16%, IQR 10–30%). These results are similar to those derived from the sediment flux monitoring, namely: the Jacuí River (70%), the Caí River (19%), the Gravataí River (4%), and the Sinos River (7%). These results demonstrate that the sediment source fingerprinting approach combined with sediment flux monitoring can provide a useful means of estimating the respective sediment contributions from individual tributaries in large and complex delta systems and may provide a powerful tool to guide water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A. angustifolia growth patterns affected by climate at its northern distribution. • The species shows divergent spatial growth responses to the climate. • Its growth sensitivity to the climate has tended to decrease in recent decades. Temporal instability and spatial inconsistency in tree growth sensitivity to climate have been reported, but little attention has been given to tropical species. Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze. (Araucariaceae) is a critically endangered South American subtropical and tropical conifer. It offers the potential to evaluate alterations in tree growth responses as it is climate-sensitive and presents a core zone of distribution in the Brazilian meridional highlands (with small disjunct patches occurring in its most southern and northern ranges). Previous dendrochronological studies in the central and most southern distribution range of A. angustifolia showed different climate-related growth responses, which raises the question of whether the growth responses of A. angustifolia to climate are consistent over space and stable over time at the species' northern distribution limit? We developed well-replicated tree-ring chronologies for A. angustifolia at the species' northern distribution limit, examined its growth dynamics, and evaluated climate-growth relationships. The growth patterns of A. angustifolia allowed the synchronization of its tree ring time-series and the construction of two tree-ring width chronologies (at Brejo da Lapa – BL and Vale das Araucárias – VA) of 55 years and 171 years respectively. The chronologies demonstrated stable and robust signal strengths. Climate-growth response analyses indicated significant positive correlations of the VA chronology with precipitation variables, and with temperature variables in the BL chronology. Different diametric growth patterns were detected between BL and VA. We observed consistent reductions of growth responses to the climate in recent decades. Forest structure and dynamics, disturbance regime, local environmental factors, and climate change could generate physiological alterations and explain variations in A. angustifolia 's growth responses and increments. The species showed different sensitivities to climatic factors both spatially and temporally, and different growth patterns at its northern distribution limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is no common drought response across species. • There is no similar pattern of recovery among species or sites. • The analyzed legume species seem to cope well with the dry periods until now. • Likely, there are different mechanisms preventing decreases in growth. Understanding the behavior of trees and how they will respond to future climate change is a crucial conservation challenge, especially for tropical species. Despite the high diversity of tree species in Brazil, little is known about their tolerance limits. The study of tree rings is a valuable method for the analysis of growth dynamics with superposed epoch analysis being a good way to understand whether past dry years induce decreased tree growth, how long it takes to recover growth after a dry period, and the resilience of trees. This study investigated seven legume species (deciduous and evergreen) from three different sites in the Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The studied trees seem to have coped well with the drought periods experienced thus far with no common pattern of recovery among species at the same site. The trees were not affected in a similar way and so different mechanisms are likely involved in preventing significant decreases in growth. These data are important for conservation policies because they reveal that each species requires a unique analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]