Prediction of Potential Suitable Areas and Distribution Evolution of Phoebe zhennan under Different Climate Scenarios
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI have the following questions, comments, and suggestions:
1) Line 46–56 # In this paragraph, the authors should introduce the natural habitat range of Phobe zhennan in terms of precipitation, temperature, elevation, etc.
2) Line 75–76 # For the geographical distribution data of the study species, the authors use the database of the Chinese Virtual Herbarium. Did the authors also check GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) data points for the study species?
3) I suggest that the captions of all figures and tables should begin with noun-form writing (i.e., the start of the captions for all figures and tables should not be in complete sentence form).
4) In Figure 2, the color scale bar should range –1 to +1.
5) Line 110–120 # The word “represented” is redundant in the figure caption. Simply use the “=” symbol (e.g., b1 = Annual Mean Temperature; b2 = Mean Diurnal Range).
6) Line 119 # In the figure caption, I suggest replacing “Warmer colors” and “Cooler colors” with “Red colors” and “Blue colors”.
7) Line 179–180 # What is the justification for using two different periods (2041–2060 and 2061–2080) in this study. I suggest mentioning this in an appropriate place (preferably after Line 141).
8) Line 297–298 # The word “further” is redundant.
9) Line 517–521 # This study found that precipitation during the warmest quarter and slope are the most influential factors in predicting the potential suitable are of Phobe zhennan. Following this result, can the authors provide a range of precipitation and slope for the potential suitable habitat of the study species.
Author Response
Comments 1: Line 46–56 # In this paragraph, the authors should introduce the natural habitat range of Phobe zhennan in terms of precipitation, temperature, elevation, etc.
Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have added a description of Phoebe zhennan's natural habitat concerning precipitation, temperature, and elevation in lines 49-50 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 2: Line 75–76 # For the geographical distribution data of the study species, the authors use the database of the Chinese Virtual Herbarium. Did the authors also check GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) data points for the study species?
Response 2: Thanks. We investigated the GBIF database during our data preparation and found that all the data for Phoebe zhennan in GBIF had already been included in the CVH database. So, we utilized only the data from the CVH database.
Comments 3: I suggest that the captions of all figures and tables should begin with noun-form writing (i.e., the start of the captions for all figures and tables should not be in complete sentence form).
Response 3: Agree. We have modified all the captions for the figures and tables.
Comments 4: In Figure 2, the color scale bar should range –1 to +1.
Response 4: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have corrected Figure 2 on page 5 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 5: Line 110–120 # The word “represented” is redundant in the figure caption. Simply use the “=” symbol (e.g., b1 = Annual Mean Temperature; b2 = Mean Diurnal Range).
Response 5: Agree. We have modified the title of Figure 2. and added a table called Bioclimatic variables on pages 3 and 4 to detail the meaning of b1-b19.
Comments 6: Line 119 # In the figure caption, I suggest replacing “Warmer colors” and “Cooler colors” with “Red colors” and “Blue colors”.
Response 6: Thank you for your suggestion; we have revised the figure caption for Figure 2 in accordance with Comment 5.
Comments 7: Line 179–180 # What is the justification for using two different periods (2041–2060 and 2061–2080) in this study. I suggest mentioning this in an appropriate place (preferably after Line 141).
Response 7: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. The reason for choosing these two time periods is that model uncertainty tends to increase with longer prediction times, which can affect the accuracy of model predictions. Given that the focus of this study is on the mid-century sustainability of phoebe zhennan, these time periods are of particular importance for conservation efforts. Taking these factors into account, we decided to focus on the time periods 2041-2060 and 2061-2080 to more accurately predict the potential suitable areas for phoebe zhennan. In addition, we have provided the rationale for selecting these two time periods, which will be added after line 132 in the revised submission.
Comments 8: Line 297–298 # The word “further” is redundant.
Response 8: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have deleted the redundant “further” in line 268 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 9: Line 517–521 # This study found that precipitation during the warmest quarter and slope are the most influential factors in predicting the potential suitable are of Phobe zhennan. Following this result, can the authors provide a range of precipitation and slope for the potential suitable habitat of the study species.
Response 9: Thanks. We have provided specific optimal ranges for precipitation and slope on lines 243-253 on page 10 and lines 317-327 on page 14 of the revised manuscript.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis study titled “Prediction of potential suitable areas and distribution evolution of Phoebe zhennan under different climate scenarios” provides a thorough assessment of potential future habitats for Phoebe zhennan, a key protected plant in China. Utilizing the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS, the research forecasts habitat suitability across different climate scenarios and time periods (2041-2060 and 2061-2080). Key findings highlight that precipitation during the warmest quarter and slope are crucial factors in determining habitat suitability. The used methods and data are well explained and results are well presented. The research is robust and provides essential guidance for future conservation strategies. I recommend accepting this study in its present form.
Author Response
Comment: This study titled “Prediction of potential suitable areas and distribution evolution of Phoebe zhennan under different climate scenarios” provides a thorough assessment of potential future habitats for Phoebe zhennan, a key protected plant in China. Utilizing the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS, the research forecasts habitat suitability across different climate scenarios and time periods (2041-2060 and 2061-2080). Key findings highlight that precipitation during the warmest quarter and slope are crucial factors in determining habitat suitability. The used methods and data are well explained and results are well presented. The research is robust and provides essential guidance for future conservation strategies. I recommend accepting this study in its present form.
Response: Thank you very much for your recognition!
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIn this paper, the distribution of Phoebe zhennan under different scenarios is predicted and the accuracy of the predicted results is demonstrated in detail. The whole paper is very good, but there are still some areas to be improved.
1. About the innovation of the article. From the description of the paper, the innovation of this paper lies in the comprehensive consideration of the influence of climate and geography on the distribution of Phoebe zhennan. However, as shown in Figure 8, the influence of the three geographical factors is smaller than that of most climatic factors. As an important innovation of the article, the author is invited to further elaborate on the necessity of considering geographical factors.
2. In line 62, the author proposes that MaxEnt is a best-performing model. What is the basis for this? No relevant references were found to support this view.
3. the definition of climate elements in the paper is somewhat vague. For example, what time period does the Wettest Quarter in "Mean Temperature of the Wettest Quarter," refer to specifically? "Precipitation of the Warmest Quarter," which period is the Warmest Quarter? Please be clear.
4. The influence of a certain factor in the model prediction results on the distribution of Phoebe zhennan was represented by AUC, and the larger the AUC, the greater the influence. Is this influence positive or negative? That is, does the increase of a certain factor promote or inhibit the growth of Phoebe zhennan?
5. Pay attention to the readability of the figure in the text. For example, the legend words in Figure 3 are too small to see clearly.
Author Response
Comments 1: About the innovation of the article. From the description of the paper, the innovation of this paper lies in the comprehensive consideration of the influence of climate and geography on the distribution of Phoebe zhennan. However, as shown in Figure 8, the influence of the three geographical factors is smaller than that of most climatic factors. As an important innovation of the article, the author is invited to further elaborate on the necessity of considering geographical factors.
Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we further explain the importance of considering geography in lines 328-333 on page 14 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 2: In line 62, the author proposes that MaxEnt is a best-performing model. What is the basis for this? No relevant references were found to support this view.
Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. In order to fully demonstrate that the MaxEnt model is the best performing model, we have added four references ([13-16]) in support on page 2, line 65 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 3: the definition of climate elements in the paper is somewhat vague. For example, what time period does the Wettest Quarter in "Mean Temperature of the Wettest Quarter," refer to specifically? "Precipitation of the Warmest Quarter," which period is the Warmest Quarter? Please be clear.
Response 3: Thank you for pointing this out. We have added descriptions of specific time periods for the wettest and warmest seasons to lines 123-124 on page 5 of the revised manuscript.
Comments 4: The influence of a certain factor in the model prediction results on the distribution of Phoebe zhennan was represented by AUC, and the larger the AUC, the greater the influence. Is this influence positive or negative? That is, does the increase of a certain factor promote or inhibit the growth of Phoebe zhennan?
Response 4: Thank you for pointing this out. I would like to explain here that the AUC value is the area under the ROC curve, a metric used to assess the predictive performance of the model, rather than a direct measure of the nature of a factor's effect on the distribution of Phoebe zhennan. What is certainly true is that the closer the AUC value is to 1, the more accurate the Maxent model prediction is.
Comments 5: Pay attention to the readability of the figure in the text. For example, the legend words in Figure 3 are too small to see clearly.
Response 5: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have adjusted Figure 3 on page 7 and Figure 6 on page 11 of the revised manuscript to increase the readability of the charts.
