Pest Risk Assessment of Aeolesthes sarta (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Pakistan under Climate Change Scenario
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The present article entitled “Pest Risk Assessment of Aeolesthes sarta in Pakistan under Climate change scenario”is an interesting topic covered by the author. However article needs extensive revision in English. I am mentioning here some points, which must be clarify or improved by authors.
-Authors have chosen three time points 2030, 2070,and 2100, but while gap of 70 in first two or 30 in 2nd 3rd time frame any specific reason
Authors have covered pest risk assessment as mentioned in the title. Author should add a section, how to manage this challenges
Line -16-17- reframe the sentence
Line 38-40- uniform the sentence
-Follow the reference pattern as per journal format
Author Response
The present article entitled “Pest Risk Assessment of Aeolesthes sarta in Pakistan under Climate change scenario”is an interesting topic covered by the author.
Question: However article needs extensive revision in English.
Answer: For language mistake correction, we send our manuscript to a fellow (professional researcher/native English speaker) for manuscript revision and English language check. He made some changes/corrections throughout the manuscript and sent it back to us. We then finalize the manuscript and resubmit the manuscript for revision. You may find the details in MS.
Question: Authors have chosen three time points 2030, 2070, and 2100, but while gap of 70 in first two or 30 in 2nd 3rd time frame any specific reason
Answer: Aelosthes sarta is one of the serious forest pests of broadleaved forests in Pakistan, and unfortunately, no comprehensive research has been conducted to highlight its spread or current distribution pattern. Therefore, we decided to conduct this study, and our objective was to present a comprehensive study that illustrates the potentially favorable areas in Pakistan in the near, late and very late future under climate change scenarios. Therefore we chose three different periods, near future-2030, late future-2070, and very late future-2100, and for climate change scenarios, we chose two different climate change scenarios (CCS) [A1B and A2]. Furthermore, we are hopeful that these findings will be beneficial to take the possible and timely measures to control the Aelosthes sarta in Pakistan.
Question: Authors have covered pest risk assessment as mentioned in the title. Author should add a section, how to manage this challenges
Answer: We appreciate that you highlighted this point. As you suggested, we added a brief passage (Line – 73-77). Besides that, if you review the second last passage of the discussion section, you will find out how to manage this pest species. Please let us know if you still think something else could be added.
Question: Line -16-17- reframe the sentence
Answer: Modified.
Question: Line 38-40- uniform the sentence
Answer: Modified.
Question: Follow the reference pattern as per journal format
Answer: Thanks for highlighting; we have followed the reference pattern per journal format.
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear Authors
I read with interest your manuscript “Pest Risk Assessment of Aeolesthes sarta in Pakistan under Climate change scenario”. It is a fascinating manuscript that reports the predicted distribution of a polyphagous longhorned beetle species in Pakistan using the CLIMEX model. It is interesting how the potential expansion area corresponds to the areas most covered by the forest rich in host plants. Possibly cite this point at the end of the sentence L 29-30 of the abstract. The results and figures/tables support the discussion and conclusion. I highlighted some points to improve your manuscript before publication. Thus, I recommend accepting your study for publication in Forests with minor revisions. Best Regards.
Title
- Please consider to add “(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)” in the title
Abstract
- L 20-21, please change “late century” with “end-century” for 2100.
- L 24-26, please consider removing or moving the parenthesis.
Introduction
- L51, please insert a space between “Ulmus” and “spp”
- L 66, what does “(1900 – 1907)” means?
Materials and Methods
- In the first section there are (in red) the names of authors together with the number of publications, please control this point and remove it if necessary.
- L154, please insert two spaces between “Aeolesthes”, “sarta” and “is”. Also in the following lines, some spaces are missing. Please check also the comma in L 155.
- L173-176, do values reported for soil moisture have a measurement unit or are they indexes?
- L181, 12 days or 12 hours/day?
Results
- L224, Figure 2 represents the historical condition, please check the correct number of cited figures.
- Please check the correct formatting of “Km2” throughout the text.
- Please increase the sharpness of the figures because now they appear a little "blurry".
Discussion
- L410, please control for Sclerodermusturkmenicus, is it a fungus or a parasitic wasp in the family Bethylidae?
- L 411 reads “Beauveria bassiana white muscardine fungus (a predator of A. sarta adults)”, check if “parasite” could be a better description instead of “predator”.
References
- Please check spaces throughout the list and italics for scientific names
Author Response
Dear Authors
I read with interest your manuscript “Pest Risk Assessment of Aeolesthes sarta in Pakistan under Climate change scenario”. It is a fascinating manuscript that reports the predicted distribution of a polyphagous longhorned beetle species in Pakistan using the CLIMEX model. It is interesting how the potential expansion area corresponds to the areas most covered by the forest rich in host plants.
Question: Possibly cite this point at the end of the sentence L 29-30 of the abstract.
Answer: Moved and modified.
The results and figures/tables support the discussion and conclusion.
I highlighted some points to improve your manuscript before publication. Thus, I recommend accepting your study for publication in Forests with minor revisions. Best Regards.
Title
Question: Please consider to add “(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)” in the title
Answer: Added as suggested.
Abstract
Question: L 20-21, please change “late century” with “end-century” for 2100.
Answer: Changes.
Question: L 24-26, please consider removing or moving the parenthesis.
Answer: Removed.
Introduction
Question: L51, please insert a space between “Ulmus” and “spp”
Answer: Inserted.
Question: L 66, what does “(1900 – 1907)” means?
Answer: From 1900 to 1907, more than 3000 mature poplar, willow, and elm trees were damaged due to the Aelosthes sarta attack in Quetta city and Balochistan region.
Materials and Methods
Question: In the first section there are (in red) the names of authors together with the number of publications, please control this point and remove it if necessary.
Answer: Thanks for highlighting it; it was a mistake that has been corrected.
Question: L154, please insert two spaces between “Aeolesthes”, “sarta” and “is”. Also in the following lines, some spaces are missing. Please check also the comma in L 155.
Answer: Checked and corrected.
Question: L173-176, do values reported for soil moisture have a measurement unit or are they indexes?
Answer: Values are indexes.
Question: L181, 12 days or 12 hours/day?
Answer: DPD means Diapause Days, so the values indicated 12 Days.
Results
Question: L224, Figure 2 represents the historical condition, please check the correct number of cited figures.
Answer: Checked and verified. There are 6 figures in total and 2 tables.
Question: Please check the correct formatting of “Km2” throughout the text.
Answer: Checked and modified.
Question: Please increase the sharpness of the figures because now they appear a little "blurry".
Answer: I will share full size (high resolution images) with journal before publication.
Discussion
Question: L410, please control for Sclerodermusturkmenicus, is it a fungus or a parasitic wasp in the family Bethylidae?
Answer: Thanks for highlighting it. Modified.
Question: L 411 reads “Beauveria bassiana white muscardine fungus (a predator of A. sarta adults)”, check if “parasite” could be a better description instead of “predator”.
Answer: Modified.
References
Question: Please check spaces throughout the list and italics for scientific names
Answer: Checked and modified.
Reviewer 3 Report
This is a potentially interesting study, that is thorough in terms of its use of Climex.
Hoever, the study fails rather on its use of the term habitat. Habitat to me as a geographer includes the forests as supply of food to the pests; I would like to have seen the climex results mapped and statistics given for forested areas, not areas in which there are no significant forests. Both climate prediction models show movement of the pest to the north and north west; however, this is where they appear to be already as this is where forests curently lie. Further, how might forested areas be predicted to change under climate change? Without answers to these questions I fear that the paper is an academic exercise, albeit a thorough one in all other respects, without great significance.
On a more minor point, the future climate pedictions are written about in the past tense which is rather odd and should be amended. I would prefer the term climatic envelope to habitat given how this is used in the study.
Author Response
This is a potentially interesting study, that is thorough in terms of its use of Climex.
Hoever, the study fails rather on its use of the term habitat. Habitat to me as a geographer includes the forests as supply of food to the pests; I would like to have seen the climex results mapped and statistics given for forested areas, not areas in which there are no significant forests. Both climate prediction models show movement of the pest to the north and north west; however, this is where they appear to be already as this is where forests curently lie. Further, how might forested areas be predicted to change under climate change?
Answer: We highly appreciate the points you have raised; The current study has successfully illustrated the potential habitat of A. sarta in Pakistan under a climate change scenario. In the discussion section, we have addressed the possibility of the habitat being suitable for A. sarta development because of the availability of preferred host trees. Besides that, we have already considered your point of climate change's impact on the forested land and working on another study; in that study, we are comparing Populus alba (one of the major host tree species of A. sarta) distribution habitat with the potential habitat of A. sarta under climate change scenarios.
Question: On a more minor point, the future climate pedictions are written about in the past tense which is rather odd and should be amended.
Answer: As you suggested, we have revised the result section and modified the tenses.
Question: I would prefer the term climatic envelope to habitat given how this is used in the study.
Answer: CLIMEX is an Ecological Nich Model which uses the biological + ecological data of a targeted species and climatic data and produces Habitat Suitability Maps (HSM).
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The article can be accepted in the present form
Reviewer 3 Report
I would still argue that the term climate ebvelope is more suited than habitat to this paper, and that it would be better to focus on one detailed paper covering forest habitat and climate envelope of the pest. However, given the comments of the other reviewers, I am happy to accept that this is publishable.
