Recruitment of the Basket Star Astrospartus mediterraneus (Risso, 1826) (Ophiuroidea, Gorgonocephalidae)
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsRecruitment of the Basket Star Astrospartus mediterraneus Risso, 1826) (Ophiuroidea, Gorgonocephalidae)
General comments
Basket stars were surveyed for 7 years – and even for 40 years – which represents an unusual and welcome time span. The hypothesis that the species is expanding is therefore credible. In addition, the highlighting of a recruitment episode is interesting. These observations therefore deserve to be published.
The form of the manuscript can however be largely improved (see below). Certain contradictions between the text and the tables, or within the text, must be corrected.
Other comments
Line 16. After ‘Tyrrhenian Sea’, please add ‘Mediterranean’.
Line 19. E. verrucosa, P. clavata and L. sarmentosa à Eunicella verrucosa, Paramuricea clavata and Leptogorgia sarmentosa.
Lines 21 and 22. Eunicella verrucosa and Paramuricea clavata à E. verrucosa and P. clavata.
Line 36. clavate à clavata.
Lines 40 and 45. by-catch or bycatch? Please standardize.
Line 51. After ‘Tyrrhenian Sea’, add ‘Mediterranean’.
Lines 62-63. Figure 1. Top left: add a kilometric bar scale.
Lines 68-69. Table 1. Surface area NEW41C and NEW110: add ‘n.a. (not available). NEW150: 48.5 à 49 [always the same number of decimals within a column]. Please add a column with the month(s) of the survey.
Line 80. mediterraneous à mediterraneus
Lines 80-81. ‘(…) occurred in the Tavolara Channel under 40m depth’. In fact, some sites are located above 40 m: NEW26, 27, 37, 64, and 100.
Line 81. 40m à 40 m
Line 82. 61 individuals? Please check: Only 60 in Table 1.
Lines 82-83. ‘as epibionts of the gorgonians Paramuricea clavata (19 specimens)’: please check (Table 1: 17 specimens?).
Line 83. ‘and Eunicella verrucosa (24 specimens)’: please check (Table 1: 25 specimens?).
Line 85. site NEW 75? Or NEW75? (see Table 1, without a space). Please standardize.
Line 87. NEW 99? Or NEW99 (see Table 1). Please standardize.
Lines 87-89. Please check: at site NEW99, 20 specimens on Eunicella verrucosa and 1 on Paramuricea clavata (see Table 1).
Line 88. Misspelling of coralloiides à coralloides. Please specify ‘Alcyonium coralloides’ (with the genus name) and add the authority.
Line 92. ‘4-9.6 mm’ à 4.0-9.6 mm. Please note that ‘4 mm’ does not mean ‘4.0 mm’ but that the exact size was between 3.5 and 4.0 mm.
Line 96. coenenchime à coenenchyme.
Line 100. ‘probably’? Or perhaps?
Line 102. ‘several polyps’: how many?
Lines 104-106. Table 2. One of specimens was collected on Paramuricea clavata, not on Eunicella verrucosa: this should be quoted in the caption. A. coralloides à Alcyonium coralloides. Column ‘fan surface area’: please remove the (unnecessary) decimal: 2269.8 à 2270, etc. Dives occurred between 2017 and 2024: were these 21 specimens sighted during one or several dives? If during the same dive, please indicate the month and year.
Lines 113-114. a; d à a,d
Lines 121-122. ‘As already stated, all the specimens were recorded under 35 m depth (…)’. In fact, lines 80-81, you wrote ‘under 40 m depth’.
Line 145. Biel-Cabanelas à Biel-Cabanelas et al.
Conclusion
I recommend this manuscript to be accepted for publication, with minor revision.
Author Response
We thank the reviewer very much for the careful reading of the manuscript. We have corrected the errors and tried to respond to all suggested changes.
General comments
Basket stars were surveyed for 7 years – and even for 40 years – which represents an unusual and welcome time span. The hypothesis that the species is expanding is therefore credible. In addition, the highlighting of a recruitment episode is interesting. These observations therefore deserve to be published. The form of the manuscript can however be largely improved (see below). Certain contradictions between the text and the tables, or within the text, must be corrected.
ANSWER: we checked and corrected mistakes across the text, figures and tables.
Other comments
Line 16. After ‘Tyrrhenian Sea’, please add ‘Mediterranean’.
ANSWER: added
Line 19. E. verrucosa, P. clavata and L. sarmentosa à Eunicella verrucosa, Paramuricea clavata and Leptogorgia sarmentosa.
ANSWER: corrected
Lines 21 and 22. Eunicella verrucosa and Paramuricea clavata à E. verrucosa and P. clavata.
ANSWER: yes
Line 36. clavate à clavata.
ANSWER: OK
Lines 40 and 45. by-catch or bycatch? Please standardize.
ANSWER: corrected through the text
Line 51. After ‘Tyrrhenian Sea’, add ‘Mediterranean’.
ANSWER: added
Lines 62-63. Figure 1. Top left: add a kilometric bar scale.
ANSWER: we believe that it is superfluous as the box at the top left only serves to indicate the geographical location of the area, while in the study area the metrics are already present.
Lines 68-69. Table 1. Surface area NEW41C and NEW110: add ‘n.a. (not available). NEW150: 48.5 à 49 [always the same number of decimals within a column]. Please add a column with the month(s) of the survey.
ANSWER: added missing values and correct decimals. We prefer not to add a column for the months of the surveys as these are dives repeated over several years several times.
Line 80. mediterraneous à mediterraneus
ANSWER: corrected
Lines 80-81. ‘(…) occurred in the Tavolara Channel under 40m depth’. In fact, some sites are located above 40 m: NEW26, 27, 37, 64, and 100.
ANSWER: the maximal depth is under 40 m depth.
Line 81. 40m à 40 m
ANSWER: corrected
Line 82. 61 individuals? Please check: Only 60 in Table 1.
ANSWER: corrected
Lines 82-83. ‘as epibionts of the gorgonians Paramuricea clavata (19 specimens)’: please check (Table 1: 17 specimens?).
ANSWER: corrected
Line 83. ‘and Eunicella verrucosa (24 specimens)’: please check (Table 1: 25 specimens?).
ANSWER: corrected
Line 85. site NEW 75? Or NEW75? (see Table 1, without a space). Please standardize.
ANSWER: corrected through the text
Line 87. NEW 99? Or NEW99 (see Table 1). Please standardize.
ANSWER: corrected through the text
Lines 87-89. Please check: at site NEW99, 20 specimens on Eunicella verrucosa and 1 on Paramuricea clavata (see Table 1).
ANSWER: corrected through the text
Line 88. Misspelling of coralloiides à coralloides. Please specify ‘Alcyonium coralloides’ (with the genus name) and add the authority.
ANSWER: done
Line 92. ‘4-9.6 mm’ à 4.0-9.6 mm. Please note that ‘4 mm’ does not mean ‘4.0 mm’ but that the exact size was between 3.5 and 4.0 mm.
ANSWER: done
Line 96. coenenchime à coenenchyme.
ANSWER: corrected
Line 100. ‘probably’? Or perhaps?
ANSWER: corrected
Line 102. ‘several polyps’: how many?
ANSWER: added
Lines 104-106. Table 2. One of specimens was collected on Paramuricea clavata, not on Eunicella verrucosa: this should be quoted in the caption. A. coralloides à Alcyonium coralloides. Column ‘fan surface area’: please remove the (unnecessary) decimal: 2269.8 à 2270, etc. Dives occurred between 2017 and 2024: were these 21 specimens sighted during one or several dives? If during the same dive, please indicate the month and year.
ANSWER: names and number were corrected as requested
Lines 113-114. a; d à a,d
ANSWER: corrected
Lines 121-122. ‘As already stated, all the specimens were recorded under 35 m depth (…)’. In fact, lines 80-81, you wrote ‘under 40 m depth’.
ANSWER: what is the problem?
Line 145. Biel-Cabanelas à Biel-Cabanelas et al.
ANSWER: corrected
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear authors, it was my pleasure to review your manuscript. It is well written and reports on some interesting observations that will help understand biotic response to short-term environmental change. Congratulations on an interesting piece of work!
I found a few minor issues that should be addressed before publication:
- Table 1: from what year are there observations? Maybe this is my mistake, but I could not find any indication of when the data in the table were collected.
- Specimen size: whenever you refer to the size of the basket stars, what exactly do you mean? I assume disc diameter, but this needs to be specified in the Methods section.
- line 91: what do you mean with "oral disc"? This relates to the question above. Please specify (preferably in the Methods section) how you measure the size of the animals (e.g. ventral side vs. dorsal side, from distal tip of the radial to the opposing disc interradius edge, etc.)
- while your writing is mostly of high quality, some English expressions and prepositions need a revision. I recommend having a native speaker revise the manuscript for language.
I look forward to seeing this manuscript published. Congratulations again.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageWhile your writing is mostly of high quality, some English expressions and prepositions need a revision. I recommend having a native speaker revise the manuscript for language.
Author Response
We thank the reviewer very much for his positive comments. We have improved the manuscript following his indications, especially the English style.
Dear authors, it was my pleasure to review your manuscript. It is well written and reports on some interesting observations that will help understand biotic response to short-term environmental change. Congratulations on an interesting piece of work!
I found a few minor issues that should be addressed before publication:
- Table 1: from what year are there observations? Maybe this is my mistake, but I could not find any indication of when the data in the table were collected.
ANSWER: date was added in the text.
- Specimen size: whenever you refer to the size of the basket stars, what exactly do you mean? I assume disc diameter, but this needs to be specified in the Methods section.
ANSWER: details were added in the Method section.
- line 91: what do you mean with "oral disc"? This relates to the question above. Please specify (preferably in the Methods section) how you measure the size of the animals (e.g. ventral side vs. dorsal side, from distal tip of the radial to the opposing disc interradius edge, etc.)
ANSWER: clarified, thanks.
- while your writing is mostly of high quality, some English expressions and prepositions need a revision. I recommend having a native speaker revise the manuscript for language.
ANSWER: OK, done.
I look forward to seeing this manuscript published. Congratulations again.
ANSWER: thank you very much for your valuable comment and appreciation for our work.
