Effects of Enhanced UV-B Radiation on Decomposition and Nutrient Release Rates of Litter from Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 1)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Authors of the manuscript “Effects of Enhanced UV-B Radiation on Decomposition and Nutrient Release Rates of Litter from Cunninghamia lanceolata” significantly expanded the “Introduction” section, added information clarifying the experimental methodology.

Please change/explain the following points:

Keep your abstract to 200 words.

Figure 1. Transfer the photographs to the Additional Materials, instead of them place a diagram of the experiment in the form of a drawing.

Line 11 Please write the name of the genus and species in letters Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) and change the title, according to this rule.

Check the format of the References (spacing between lines).

Author Response

Thanks to the valuable opinions of expert.We re-examined and revised the full text of the article :

1. The abstract part of this paper has been modified and kept within 200 words.

2. The document shown in figure 1 has been transferred to the annex

3. Modify the corresponding location of Cunninghamia lanceolata ( Lamb. ) and also modify it in the title

4. Citation format has been modified and spacing between lines has been adjusted

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear all,

 

I have carefully reviewed the revised manuscript titled "Effects of Enhanced UV-B Radiation on Decomposition and Nutrient Release Rates of Litter from Cunninghamia lanceolata". It is evident that the authors have diligently addressed the comments from the previous review, resulting in significant improvements to the paper. The revisions have notably enhanced the manuscript's quality and clarity. However, I would like to reiterate a concern regarding the legibility of the text in the figures. Despite the overall enhancements, the font size used in the figures remains quite small, making it challenging to read. For the manuscript to effectively communicate its findings to the reader, it is crucial that all textual elements, including those within figures, are easily legible. Therefore, I strongly recommend that the authors revise the figures to increase the font size to a more reader-friendly level.

I believe addressing this issue will further improve the manuscript's accessibility and effectiveness in conveying its valuable research findings.

Author Response

Thanks to the valuable opinions of expert. We re-examined and revised the full text of the article, we re-adjusted the text size in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and increase the resolution and clarity of the picture.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript “Effects of Enhanced UV-B Radiation on Decomposition and Nutrient Release Rates of Litter from Chinese Fir Forests” does not have a clear connection between the Introduction and Conclusion sections. The introduction should be expanded and improved, information should be added on the impact of the studied factors on the composition of litter, etc. The experimental design raises many questions. It is possible that the authors did not fully describe the methodology and design of the study. I recommend adding a drawing reflecting the experimental design, designations of options, UV radiation intensity by age of plantings and used in this work. In general, the work is devoted to the current topic of climate change and the impact of the consequences of such change on forest ecosystems. However, I suppose that authors of the manuscript should significantly reconsider the material.

Please note the following points:

First of all, I would like to point out numerous errors in the design of the manuscript. Keep your Abstract to 200 words. Also pay attention to the spaces inside the parentheses; there should be no spaces after the opening parenthesis or before the closing one.

Line 11 Remove repetitions of words, add the Latin name of the species in accordance with the generally accepted binary nomenclature “…characteristics of Chinese fir litter, the litter of Chinese fir in middle-aged forest...)

Lines 11-12 What do the numbers in brackets ( 16a ), ( 49a ) you used mean? If age, then do not use an abbreviation.

Line 13 Check and correct “…value, Four kinds of UV-B…”

Line 56 Provide the full name of the species “Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.” at first mention. In what follows, the abbreviated name C. lanceolata will be used in the text.

Lines 66-69 You should adhere to a scientific style of writing a text, not a journalistic one.

Lines 76, 77 The Latin name of a plant species is written in italics. C. lanceolata

It is not clear from Section 2.2 on what basis the experimental UV irradiation intensities were chosen. It is worth clarifying what percentage of UV intensity is being added due to environmental changes, predicting possible future increases in intensity, and relating this to the intensity values you choose. The principle of choosing a control option is also not clear. It would be logical to measure the intensity of UV irradiation in the conditions of middle-aged forest and over-mature forest, take the average values of these options as a control, predict the possible percentage increase in irradiation intensity and, based on this, plan the experiment.

Did you only use UV lamps? Was there any background radiation? This is clearly not enough to imitate natural conditions. In addition, you do not provide the microbiological composition of the litter. It is known that the decomposition of litter occurs mainly with the help of microorganisms and invertebrate saprophages. UV irradiation can negatively affect their functioning. Have you taken this factor into account?

Table 1. Check the location of the title of table No. 1, it should not be inside the table. Design the table in accordance with the Journal template.

Lines 125-130 Provide a reference to the methodology.

Lines 144-159 Design the formulas in accordance with the Journal template.

a = 1,                                                                                     (1)

Lines 160-166 Select this paragraph as a separate subsection “Data Analysis”

Lines 160-161 Please use names of the copyright holders or software developers after mentioning programs.

Tables 3, 4 The title of the tables should indicate what indicators you provide (with abbreviations explained)

Figure 1, line 321, 357. When you use the word cedar, do you mean Chinese fir? Please use  latin naming or stick to one plant name throughout the article.

Lines 180-183, 236-237, 279-280 Check and correct the line spacing of the title of Figure 1, 2 in accordance with the Journal template.

Table  5. Please add units of measurement to the content table.

Lines 380-385. Using a large number of factors of soil formation and humus formation, why don’t you describe in your study the characteristics of the soil on which the plants grew? The manuscript also lacks information about the pH value, perhaps you would consider it necessary to add it?

Line 489 Remove text highlighting “n.Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology,2013,2”

Design the References in accordance with the Journal template (line spacing, delete doi, etc.).

Comments on the Quality of English Language

No spelling errors were identified, but the text itself was not written clearly, with confusion in terms and the presence of strange figures of speech. It's difficult to say whether these are translation errors or not.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear all,

I reviewed the ms "Effects of Enhanced UV-B Radiation on Decomposition and Nutrient Release Rates of Litter from Chinese Fir Forests". This is an interresting paper and it is well done. I have some minor suggestions:

Abstract: why do the authors call "we selected litter from artificial Chinese fir forests"? The abstract in this platform is different from the doc.

Introduction:

C. lanceolata must to be in italic - see L75-77.

L75-80:  This paragrah is very extensive. Review it, please.

L91-113: Do you have photos? It will be nice.

Discussion:

In the end of Introduction, the authors said "rational management of Chinese fir plantation un- 79 der the background of global climate change in the future". I would like to see more about the implication of this study on global climate change. My suggestion: could the authors explore this?

 

1. What is the main question addressed by the research? The main question addressed is the impact of enhanced UV-B radiation on the decomposition and nutrient release dynamics of Chinese fir litter, particularly in the context of global climate change.   2. What parts do you consider original or relevant for the field? What specific gap in the field does the paper address? The study's focus on the effects of UV-B radiation on litter decomposition in Chinese fir forests is quite relevant, especially considering the ongoing changes in global climate patterns. The investigation into different developmental stages of forests adds a unique dimension to the research.
3. What does it add to the subject area compared with other published material? Compared to existing literature, this paper adds specific insights into how UV-B radiation affects the decomposition process of a significant timber species in China, potentially influencing soil nutrient cycles and forest ecosystem health. This could be a valuable contribution to understanding forest management and ecological balance in the face of climate change.
4. What specific improvements should the authors consider regarding the methodology? What further controls should be considered?   - Expanding the range of forest developmental stages beyond just middle-aged and over-mature stages can provide a broader understanding of the UV-B radiation effects across the forest lifecycle. - Analyzing soil characteristics (such as pH, organic matter content, and microbial community composition) in the test plots could help in understanding how these factors interact with UV-B radiation in affecting litter decomposition
5. Please describe how the conclusions are or are not consistent with the evidence and arguments presented. Please also indicate if all main questions posed were addressed and by which specific experiments.   * The conclusion that increased UV-B radiation intensifies the decomposition rates of Chinese fir litter aligns well with the presented evidence. The study found that decomposition rates in both middle-aged and over-mature forests followed the order of T3 > T2 > T1 > CK, consistent with prior research cited in the discussion. This suggests a direct link between UV-B radiation intensity and litter decomposition, supporting the study's main argument.   * The paper notes that over-mature forests exhibited higher decomposition rates than middle-aged forests under varying UV-B intensities. This is consistent with the evidence showing differential initial substrate quality and microbial community structures between the two forest ages. The study effectively discusses how these factors contribute to the observed differences in decomposition rates.   * The conclusions regarding the patterns of nutrient release (C, N, P, K) under different UV-B conditions are supported by the data. The study details how enhanced UV-B radiation affects nutrient release, showing distinct patterns for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These findings are in line with the paper's arguments about the impact of UV-B radiation on litter quality and microbial activity.   * The conclusion that there is a significant positive correlation between the dry weight residual rates of litter and the residual rates of C and N nutrients underlines the study's findings. However, the lack of significant correlation with P and K suggests a more complex interaction, which is acknowledged in the conclusion.   * The main question regarding the effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on the decomposition of Chinese fir litter was addressed through experiments that varied UV-B radiation intensities (CK, T1, T2, T3). The results clearly demonstrated an increase in decomposition rates with higher UV-B intensities.   * The study specifically examined middle-aged and over-mature forests, providing insights into how UV-B radiation impacts forests at different developmental stages. This was addressed through the collection and analysis of litter from both types of forests under various UV-B treatments.   * While the study effectively demonstrates the impact of UV-B on decomposition and nutrient release, it could delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms, particularly concerning microbial activity and chemical changes in the litter. This aspect seems to be acknowledged but not extensively explored in the experiments.   * In summary, the conclusions of the paper are largely consistent with the evidence and arguments presented. The study addresses its main questions through specific experiments focused on varying UV-B radiation levels and analyzing their effects on litter decomposition and nutrient release in different forest developmental stages. However, further exploration into the mechanistic aspects of these effects could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena observed.     6. Are the references appropriate? Yes.
7. Please include any additional comments on the tables and figures and quality of the data. The letters in the figures are very small.

 

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf