Biodiversity and Abundance of Angiosperms and Environmental Resilience in the Tidal Range of Yuanjiang Dry–Hot Valley, Southwestern China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

All in the MS

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

All in the MS

Author Response

Comments 1: Why is bold ???

Response 1: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it

 

Comments 2: verify terms.

Response 2: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have deleted from afar.

 

Comments 3: reference here of the last five year.

Response 3: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have added two references in the manuscript.

 

Comments 4: has another kind of letter.

Response 4: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 5: Which index???

Response 5: We agree with this comment. We have revised it. Bray-Curtis is a similarity index representing the heterogeneity in sampling plots or 112 transects on a multidiscipline species matrix.

 

Comments 5: and homocesticity of variance, Levenes Test!!!

Response 5: We agree with this comment. We have revised it. All model inferences were tested on Chi-square testing (χ2) at 0.05 significance level while residuals were evaluated for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and homocesticity of variance, Levenes Test, normality was assumed when P ≥ 0.5

 

Comments 6: only  two decimals in all cases.

Response 6: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 7: only  two decimals.

Response 7: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 8: title must be complete, indicating places and type of ecosystems.

Response 8: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript. Table 1. Habitat similarities in the plots of P-transect.  Six transects was remarked a - f from the upper stream to the lower in Yuanjiang dry hot valley.

 

Comments 9: in all cases two decimals.

Response 9: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 10: analyze the phrases.

Response 10: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript. ACE, ICE, and Chao2 were displayed differently. ACE curve deviated considerably from ICE and Chao2, which may lead to an incompatible model (Figure 5). Contratly, ICE and Chao2 were proved convincible.

 

Comments 11: Why not R only. Or must be added linear regression.

Response 11: We agree with this comment. We have revised it in the manuscript. we think R2 should be a reasonable index to indicate the gap between regression line and the sampling data.

Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Reviewer 2 Comments

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Comments to authors#

Dear authors,

This is a very interesting paper. The results are clearly presented, and the materials and methods have no serious flaws.

Please consider my comments.

General report#

The scientific names are written with the authority at the first mention in the text only, after that the name of the genus is abbreviated and the name is written without the authority.

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Line 19: ‘Yuanjiang’ should be written regular not bold.

Line 33: replace “increased when slope is declined”  with ‘increased when the slope is declined’.

Line 48: replace “of fragile arid”  with ‘of the fragile arid’.

Line 60: replace ‘Prevailing’  with  “It is prevalent”

Lines 62-63: replace ‘low-land farming in the valley areas for the past decades have led to extreme degradation of environment’ with “low-land farming in the valley areas has led to extreme degradation of the environment

Line 187:  update the scientific name ‘Axonopus compressus (Sw.) Beauv.’ with  “Axonopus compressus (Sw.) P.Beauv.”

Line 213:  update the scientific name ‘Arthraxon hispidus (Trin.) Makino’ with  “Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino”.

Line 214:  update the scientific name ‘Neyraudia reynaudiana (kunth.) Keng, Achyranthes aspera L., Praxelis clematidea Cassini’ with  “Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) Keng ex Hitchc., Achyranthes aspera L., Praxelis clematidea (Hieron. ex Kuntze) R.M.King & H.Rob.”

Line 215:  update the scientific name ‘Polygonum lapathifolium L’ with  “Persicaria lapathifolia (L.) Delarbre.”

Line 217:  update the scientific name ‘Broussonetia papyrifera (Linnaeus) L'Heritier ex Ventenat’ with  “Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Heritier ex Vent.”

Line 218:  replace the scientific name ‘Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC’ with  “Pleurolobus gangeticus (L.) J.St.-Hil. ex H.Ohashi & K.Ohashi”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Line 218:  repolace ‘Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Wight) Muell. Arg.’ with  “Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Wight) Müll. Arg.”

Lines 220-221:  update the scientific name ‘Cyclosorus parasiticus (L.) Farwell.’ with  “Thelypteris parasitica (L.) Tardieu”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Line 221:  update the scientific name ‘Tectaria fuscipes (Wallich ex Beddome) C. Christensen’ with  “Tectaria fuscipes (Wall. ex Bedd.) C.Chr.”

Line 230:  replace the scientific name ‘Clausena excavate Burm.f.’ with  “Clausena excavata Burm.f.”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Line 233:  replace the scientific names ‘Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) Hara’ with  “Trema tomentosum (Roxb.) H.Hara”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

‘Ipomoea nil (Linnaeus) Roth’ with  “Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth”

 ‘Senna siamea (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby’ with  “Senna siamea (Lam.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby”

Line 234:  replace the scientific name ‘Lecanthus peduncularis (Wall. ex Royle) Wedd.’ with  “Lecanthus peduncularis (Royle) Wedd.”

Line 235:  replace the scientific name ‘Centella asiatica (L.) Urban’ with  “Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.”

Line 236:  replace the scientific name ‘Phyla nodiflora (L.) E. L. Greene’ with  “Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene”

replace the scientific name ‘Hylodesmum podocarpum (Candolle) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill’ with  “Hylodesmum podocarpum (DC.) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill”

Line 237:  replace the scientific name ‘Macaranga denticulata (Bl.) Muell. Arg.’ with  “Macaranga denticulata (Blume) Müll.Arg.”

Lines 237-238:  update the scientific name ‘Cyclosorus parasiticus (L.) Farwell.’ with  “T. parasitica”

Line 242: delete ‘, this’ from “oxygen supply, this is important for the root system”.

Line 244: replace ‘C. dactylon’ with “Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.”.

Line 246: replace ‘regenerating’ with “regeneration”

Line 247: delete ‘up’  and check within the MS

Lines 257-258:  update the scientific name ‘Markhamia stipulata var. kerrii Sprague’ with  “Markhamia stipulata (Wall.) Seem.”

Line 266: replace ‘new’ with “newly”

Lines 269-270: replace ‘Centella asiatica (L.) Urban’ with “Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.”

 replace ‘Colocasia antiquorum Schott’ with “Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott”

replace ‘Phyla nodiflora (L.) E. L. Greene’ with “Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene”

replace ‘Lindernia procumbens (Krock.) Borbas’ with “Lindernia procumbens (Krock.) Philcox”

Line 271: replace ‘Eclipta prostrate L.’ with “Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.”

replace ‘Juncus prismatocarpus R. Brown’ with “Juncus prismatocarpus R. Br.”

Lines 271-272:  replace ‘Polygonum lapathifolium L’ with  “P. lapathifolia”

Line 272: replace ‘P. plebeium R. Br.’ with “Polygonum  plebeium R. Br.”

Lines 273-274:  replace ‘Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC’ with  “P. gangeticus”

 

Line 274:  replace ‘Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Prain’ with  “Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Kuntze ex Merr.”

Line 275:  replace ‘Senna siamea (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby’ with  “Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby”

Line 275:  replace ‘Cipadessa baccifera (Roth) Miq.’ with  “Cipadessa baccifera (Roxb. ex Roth) Miq.”

Line 276:  replace ‘Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq.’ with  “Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.”

Line 290:  replace ‘according to field results’ with  “According to field results”

Line 291:  replace ‘were observed in the plots separately in these two transects’ with  “were observed separately in the plots in these two transects”

Line 308:  replace ‘Helictercs angustifolia L.’ with  “Helicteres angustifolia L.”

Line 318:  replace ‘Hylodesmum podocarpum (Candolle) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill’ with  “Hylodesmum podocarpum (DC.) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill”

Line 330:  replace ‘declining’ with  “decline”

Line 352:  replace ‘zone[23]’ with  “zones [23]”

Line 394:  replace ‘was’ with  “were”

Lines 413:  delete ‘L.’ from the scientific name.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Please check the Grammers within the manuscript.

Author Response

Comments 1: ‘Yuanjiang’ should be written regular not bold.

Response 1: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised ‘Yuanjiang’ into not bold.

 

Comments 2: replace “increased when slope is declined” with ‘increased when the slope is declined’.

Response 2: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 3: replace “of fragile arid” with ‘of the fragile arid’. Response 3: We agree with this comment3: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 4: replace ‘Prevailing’ with “It is prevalent”

Response 4: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 5:  replace ‘low-land farming in the valley areas for the past decades have led to extreme degradation of environment’ with “low-land farming in the valley areas has led to extreme degradation of the environment

Response 5: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 5: update the scientific name ‘Axonopus compressus (Sw.) Beauv.’ with “Axonopus compressus (Sw.) P.Beauv.”

Response 5: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 6: update the scientific name ‘Arthraxon hispidus (Trin.) Makino’ with “Arthraxon hispidus (Thunb.) Makino”.

Response 6: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 7: update the scientific name ‘Neyraudia reynaudiana (kunth.) Keng, Achyranthes aspera L., Praxelis clematidea Cassini’ with “Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) Keng ex Hitchc., Achyranthes aspera L., Praxelis clematidea (Hieron. ex Kuntze) R.M.King & H.Rob.”

Response 7: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 8: update the scientific name ‘Polygonum lapathifolium L’ with “Persicaria lapathifolia (L.) Delarbre.”

Response 8: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 9: update the scientific name ‘Broussonetia papyrifera (Linnaeus) L'Heritier ex Ventenat’ with  “Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Heritier ex Vent.”

Response 9: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 10: replace the scientific name ‘Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC’ with “Pleurolobus gangeticus (L.) J.St.-Hil. ex H.Ohashi & K.Ohashi”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Response 10: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 11: repolace ‘Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Wight) Muell. Arg.’ with “Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Wight) Müll. Arg.”

Response 11: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 12:  update the scientific name ‘Cyclosorus parasiticus (L.) Farwell.’ with “Thelypteris parasitica (L.) Tardieu”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Response 12: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 13: update the scientific name ‘Tectaria fuscipes (Wallich ex Beddome) C. Christensen’ with “Tectaria fuscipes (Wall. ex Bedd.) C.Chr.”

Response 13: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 14: replace the scientific name ‘Clausena excavate Burm.f.’ with “Clausena excavata Burm.f.”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Response 14: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 15: replace the scientific names ‘Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) Hara’ with “Trema tomentosum (Roxb.) H.Hara”, and correct the name throughout the manuscript.

Response 15: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 16: ‘Ipomoea nil (Linnaeus) Roth’ with “Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth”

Response 16: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 17: ‘Senna siamea (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby’ with “Senna siamea (Lam.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby”

Response 17: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 18: replace the scientific name ‘Lecanthus peduncularis (Wall. ex Royle) Wedd.’ With “Lecanthus peduncularis (Royle) Wedd.”

Response 18: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 19: replace the scientific name ‘Centella asiatica (L.) Urban’ with “Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.”

Response 19: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 20:  replace the scientific name ‘Phyla nodiflora (L.) E. L. Greene’ with “Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene”

Response 20: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 21: replace the scientific name ‘Hylodesmum podocarpum (Candolle) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill’ with  “Hylodesmum podocarpum (DC.) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill”

Response 21: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 22: replace the scientific name ‘Macaranga denticulata (Bl.) Muell. Arg.’ with “Macaranga denticulata (Blume) Müll.Arg.”

Response 22: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 23:  update the scientific name ‘Cyclosorus parasiticus (L.) Farwell.’ with “T. parasitica”

Response 23: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 24:  delete ‘, this’ from “oxygen supply, this is important for the root system”.

Response 24: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 25:  replace ‘C. dactylon’ with “Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.”.

Response 25: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 26: replace ‘regenerating’ with “regeneration”

Response 26: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 27: delete ‘up’ and check within the MS

Response 27: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 28: update the scientific name ‘Markhamia stipulata var. kerrii Sprague’ with “Markhamia stipulata (Wall.) Seem.”

Response 28: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 29: replace ‘new’ with “newly”

Response 29: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 30: replace ‘Centella asiatica (L.) Urban’ with “Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.”

Response 30: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 31: replace ‘Colocasia antiquorum Schott’ with “Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott”

Response 31: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 32: replace ‘Phyla nodiflora (L.) E. L. Greene’ with “Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene”

Response 32: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 33: replace ‘Lindernia procumbens (Krock.) Borbas’ with “Lindernia procumbens (Krock.) Philcox”

Response 33: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 34:  replace ‘Eclipta prostrate L.’ with “Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.”

Response 34: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 35: replace ‘Juncus prismatocarpus R. Brown’ with “Juncus prismatocarpus R. Br.”

Response 35: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 36:  replace ‘Polygonum lapathifolium L’ with “P. lapathifolia”

Response 36: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 37:  replace ‘P. plebeium R. Br.’ with “Polygonum plebeium R. Br.”

Response 37: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 38:  replace ‘Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC’ with “P. gangeticus”

Response 38: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 39:  replace ‘Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Prain’ with “Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Kuntze ex Merr.”

Response 39: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 40: replace ‘Senna siamea (Lamarck) H. S. Irwin & Barneby’ with “Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby”

Response 40: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 41: replace ‘Cipadessa baccifera (Roth) Miq.’ with “Cipadessa baccifera (Roxb. ex Roth) Miq.”

Response 41: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 42: replace ‘Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq.’ with “Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.”

Response 42: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 43:  replace ‘according to field results’ with “According to field results”

Response 43: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 44: replace ‘were observed in the plots separately in these two transects’ with “were observed separately in the plots in these two transects”

Response 44: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 45: replace ‘Helictercs angustifolia L.’ with “Helicteres angustifolia L.”

Response 45: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 46:  replace ‘Hylodesmum podocarpum (Candolle) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill’ with  “Hylodesmum podocarpum (DC.) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill”

Response 46: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 47:  replace ‘declining’ with “decline”

Response 47: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 48:  replace ‘zone [23]’ with “zones [23]”

Response 48: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 49:  replace ‘was’ with “were”

Response 49: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

Comments 50: delete ‘L.’ from the scientific name.

Response 50: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it.

 

 

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors studied diversity patterns of plants in the tidal range of Yuanjiang Dry-Hot Valley in China. They presented many interesting results, and I have some major and minor suggestions in order to improve the quality of the work. In general, the manuscript lacks a detailed section on Data analysis, a separate section within Material and Methods.

Abstract

I suggest that in the title of the paper and the abstract, it should be emphasized where the researched area is located, by adding a parenthesis and writing a part of China. It was not clear to the readers, and not even to me, where the researched area was located.

 Line 19: Yuanjiang should not be in bold, but in regular letters.

Line 23. Maybe it is better to write diversity patterns of plant species

If it says only plant species, it is not clear what the analyzes refer to.

Line 25. alpha and beta diversity indices

Line 28. Abbreviations are not clear. It is necessary to explain and write better.

 Introduction

 Lines 68-69. Reduce the font size of the word environmental susceptibility.

Line 71. Why only one key diversity index, why not indexes?

Figure 1. Add in parentheses the locality identifier (the part of China where the locality is located).

Line 78. instead of plants it is better to write diversity patterns of plants.

Write Materials and Methods instead of Methods and Materials

Line 81. Field should be italicized.

 Lines 83-84. References must be given at the end of the sentence.

In the Materials and methods, the Data analysis section is missing, where you will explain in detail and specify which statistical analyzes were performed.

Line 145. It is necessary to write only Results, not Results and analysis

 

Author Response

Comments 1: I suggest that in the title of the paper and the abstract, it should be emphasized where the researched area is located, by adding a parenthesis and writing a part of China. It was not clear to the readers, and not even to me, where the researched area was located.

Response 1: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 2: Yuanjiang should not be in bold, but in regular letters.

Response 2: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised ‘Yuanjiang’ into not bold.

 

Comments 3: Maybe it is better to write diversity patterns of plant species

Response 3: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 4: alpha and beta diversity indices

Response 4: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 5: Abbreviations are not clear. It is necessary to explain and write better.

Response 5: The terms are all given explaination in the methodology. It seems not a good idea to write more than 160 explaining words in the abstract.

 

Comments 6: Reduce the font size of the word environmental susceptibility.

Response 6: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 7:  Why only one key diversity index, why not indexes?

Response 7: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 8: Figure 1. Add in parentheses the locality identifier (the part of China where the locality is located).

Response 8: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript. Figure 1. Vegetation and environment in low altitude of Yuanjiang dry-hot valley, southwestern China. A-a) Upper; B-b) Middle; C-c) Lower.

 

 

Comments 9: instead of plants it is better to write diversity patterns of plants.

Response 9: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 10: Write Materials and Methods instead of Methods and Materials

Response 10: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 11: Field should be italicized.

Response 11: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 12: References must be given at the end of the sentence.

Response 12: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

 

Comments 13: In the Materials and methods, the Data analysis section is missing, where you will explain in detail and specify which statistical analyzes were performed.

Response 13: Line127-133 is the the Data analysis section in the manuscript.

 

Comments 14: It is necessary to write only Results, not Results and analysis

Response 14: We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have revised it in the manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Abbreviations in the abstract should not stand without explanation. Since space is an issue, then reword that sentence and avoid using abbreviations. How can you collectively name these terms: Species_estimated, 28 Singletons, Uniques, ACE, ICE, and Chao2? 

Find the common denominator - the term of those terms and throw out the abbreviations.

 

Author Response

Comments:Abbreviations in the abstract should not stand without explanation. Since space is an issue, then reword that sentence and avoid using abbreviations. How can you collectively name these terms: Species_estimated, 28 Singletons, Uniques, ACE, ICE, and Chao2? Find the common denominator - the term of those terms and throw out the abbreviations.

Response: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, We have revised it in the manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.doc