Methods for Studying Bacterial–Fungal Interactions in the Microenvironments of Soil

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

803 / 5000  

Wyniki tłumaczenia

The manuscript submitted for evaluation is very general. Its content does not match the title. The authors devote a great deal of content to the structure and properties of soil, not to methods. The work is chaotic, disordered, specific threads are not fully described in a specific subchapter and the authors constantly refer the reader to further chapters or to the literature. In my opinion, there are unfinished sentences in the work, threads, for example, line 28. Inclusions (in parentheses) such as in lines 237-238 should not take place in scientific papers. For example, lines 52-59 are missing. The figures are badly signed and the table is not signed at all. In my opinion, there is a lack of specifically described methods, and no indication of their advantages and disadvantages. The work, after appropriate editing, could constitute a valuable popular science description.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

Your paper entitled "Methods for studying bacterial – fungal interactions in the microenvironments of soil" has overall good quality and gives insights into BFI background and methodology.

I would suggest some small writing modifications.
Add a comma before coordinating conjunction (such as and, or) in a series of at least three terms. Ex.: row 105: (e.g. the mineral composition, morphology, and texture). Also, please be careful about subject-verb agreement rules (e.g. singular verb to singular subject form).
Other small modifications:
36: not just to their; replace "to"with "on"
63: in the figure's explanation: microenvironments defined in specific point; replace "in" with "at a"
81: decomposition is to be expected; replace "is" with "are"
123: through soil; add "the" to soil
160: One of the first study; make the plural for "study"
166: in search for; replace "for" with "of"
171: when associated to; replace "to" with "with"
188: add "the" to "mycelia"
191: interaction are extraradical; replace "are" to "is"
210: dynamics is very; replace "is" to "are"
216: it is worth to mention; replace with "it is worth mentioning"
236: provide theoretical; add "the" to "theoretical"
263: in regards of BFI studies; replace "of" with "to"
271: this is far from the modern; add "the" before "modern"
307: laboratorial manipulation; replace with "laboratory manipulation"
325-326: Microfluidic platforms allow to precisely organize and monitor small heterogeneous microbial populations; rephrase to "Microfluidic platforms allow for the precisely organization and"
336: waste products or of other; remove "of"
338: allowing a continuous; remove "a"
355: on laser; replace with "on a laser"
363: In a mixed; remove "a"
369: taxonomical information are not provided; replace "are" with "is"
376: countless of applications; remove "of"
380: dealing with very; modify with "with a very"
382: FISH, and it is very; modify with "FISH, and is very"
401: physical arrangement and spatial distribution is; replace "is" with "are"
404: a great deal of; better replace with "lot of"
410: during the recent years; remove "the"
419: are lacking to; replace "to" with "in"
478: to few mm; modify to "to a few mm"
506: ergosterol as biomarker; modify to "ergosterol as a biomarker"

Also, other misspellings might have been present. Please, check one more time thoroughly.

Overall, I had a good time spending time with the paper.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

74, 75…. Please improve the sentence. Suggestion: Albeit the hierarchical organization of aggregates highly depends on the amount of energy that is applied to take the soil apart,

80 Suggestion:exclude comma: ‘…by both biotic and abiotic factors…’

86 does drainage include evaporation and temperature?’

90 Suggestion: In macro-pores,localized in and between macro-aggregates, water…

91 Between microagregates is not an option? Please improve the sentence

132, 133: ‘Therefore, higher microbial activity and greater organic matter decomposition is to be expected in sandy soil ‘. Is it correct? Why not the opposite: more water available, therefore more microbes? Depends on which level of drought the comparison is performed…as well as how much sandy a sandy soil is.

163 reported that (no comma between)

191 arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and others mycorrhizal fungi?

Line 290 exclude ‘that’

342 to 245 Improve sentence, suggestion: “The majority of microfluidic devices have been  used to study interactions in model organisms, manly  between bacterial cells (e.g., [121,135]), bacteria and plant [136] or fungi and plants [130,137,138]. A number of studies investigating the cell-to- cell interactions between fungi and bacteria are shyly emerging [139,140].

355 to re-introduce

364 features providing

369 information is not provided

402 ‘Also,…’ or In addition, …(comma is needed?)

407, 408 Improve sentence: ‘when samples are chemically fixed , it is impossible to monitor dynamics in situ and in vivo.?

439 molecule signals and for the detection ( comma?)

481 to 510 The paragraph refers both to radioactive and stable isotopes, as indicated (line 500: 13C, 15N, 32P, 2H)  It starts with radioactive and then states that stable isotopes are (also?) important. Mutations mentioned at line 499 are a risk just for radioactive isotopes.

Lines 502 to 510. Improve: the monitoring of uptake and transfer of metabolites has always to be linked to the identification of the actively incorporating microorganisms ? Do you mean just alive microorganisms incorporate the isotopes?

Author Response

Please see the attachment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Thank you for your comprehensive reply to my comments. I understand that everyone has their own style and requirements. Thank you for the extensive explanations.