Abstract. We investigated plant water sources of an emblematic refugial population of Fagus sylvatica (L.) in the Ciron river gorges in South-Western France using stable water isotopes. It is generally assumed that no isotopic fractionation occurs during root water uptake, so that the isotopic composition of xylem water effectively reflects that of source water. However, this assumption has been called into question by recent studies that found that, at least at some dates during the growing season, plant water did not reflect any mixture of the potential water sources. In this context, highly resolved datasets covering a range of environmental conditions could shed light on possible plant-soil fractionation processes responsible for this phenomenon. In this study, the hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope compositions of all potential tree water sources and xylem water were measured fortnightly over an entire growing season. Using a Bayesian isotope mixing model (MixSIAR), we then quantified the relative contribution of water sources for F. sylvatica and Quercus robur (L.) trees. Based on δ18O data alone, both species used a mix of top and deep soil water over the season, with Q. robur using soil water relatively deeper than F. sylvatica. The contribution of stream water appeared to be marginal despite the proximity of the trees to the stream, as already reported for other riparian forests. Xylem water δ18O could always be interpreted as a mixture of deep and shallow soil waters, but the δ2H of xylem water was often more depleted than the considered water sources. We argue that an isotopic fractionation in the unsaturated zone and/or within the plant tissues could underlie this unexpected relatively depleted δ2H of xylem water, as already observed in halophytic and xerophytic species. By means of a sensitivity analysis, we found that the estimation of plant water sources using mixing models was largely affected by this δ2H depletion. A better understanding of what causes this isotopic separation between xylem and source water is urgently needed.

The defocus curve (DC) has become the gold standard method for assessing the visual performance at different distances, and hence, to evaluate the depth of focus that is provided by modern presbyopia-compensating intraocular lenses that are used in cataract surgery. A former study, carried out by other authors, reported that the DC method, based on placing the chart at far distance and using trial negative lenses, underestimated the visual acuity that was measured by varying the test distance (VD) in pseudophakic patients. We have revisited the issue with pseudophakic subjects and have extended the study to include young phakic observers with their natural accommodation preserved. Our results show that both the VD and DC methods are equivalent in precision and accuracy and can be used indistinctly. However, the DC method is more practical in the clinics because it does not require further control of the chart positioning and illuminance.

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