Effect of Geographical Conditions on Moss–Soil Crust Restoration on Cut Rock Slopes in a Mountainous Area in Western Sichuan, China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This thesis is an in-depth study on the restoration of mosses in the Transverse Range of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, and the study area itself has high ecological and environmental value. The logic of this thesis is clear and the method is scientific and reasonable, and it is a good guide for the restoration of mosses on roadside slopes, and I have studied the whole text, and all aspects are well done, but I recognize the background part of the study, which is not complete enough and lacks the introduction of the existing research basis for mosses on roadside slopes, please add.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: This thesis is an in-depth study on the restoration of mosses in the Transverse Range of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, and the study area itself has high ecological and environmental value. The logic of this thesis is clear and the method is scientific and reasonable, and it is a good guide for the restoration of mosses on roadside slopes, and I have studied the whole text, and all aspects are well done, but I recognize the background part of the study, which is not complete enough and lacks the introduction of the existing research basis for mosses on roadside slopes, please add.
Response 1: We appreciate the reviewer for the positive comments, and the introduction of the existing research basis for mosses on roadside slopes has been added in the revised version (Lines 73–78).
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
It is an attractive topic investigate the mechanism of the rock cut slope restoration via the moss growth method. This paper is also well written and the analysis is overall reliable. However, authors have to make the following revisions.
The title of this paper is vague. What do you mean by geographical effect? A word of geography includes a lot of information.
Abstract
what do you mean by asl? Please by the way add the research gap of existing literature.
Introduction
line 53-58, what do you think the soil properties such as the nutrient and water properties? You should briefly touch such information in the introduction. Please refer:
Mapping cation exchange capacity using a quasi-3d joint inversion of EM38 and EM31 data. Soil and Tillage Research, 200, 104618.
A Vis‐NIR Spectral Library to Predict Clay in Australian Cotton Growing Soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 82(6), 1347-1357.
Soil organic carbon prediction by multi-digital data fusion for nitrogen management in a sugarcane field. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 1-18.
Line 69-70, authors have to present structured research gap. For instance, why do we need to explore the moss-soil further? What are the specific characteristics?
Furthermore, authors have not well defined the geographic features. Please improve the introduction section. How do you consider the rainfall, temperature and sunshine?
Materials and methods:
Authors have not presented the rock cut information in Section 2.1.
Subsection 2.2.1. Please also refer Fig.1, the sampling sites.
Subsection 2.2.3 Are you sure the ANOVA methods is usable? Have you tested the sample distribution (normality)?
Results and discussion
Figure 2 can be improved. Please add more explanations.
In analysis section relevant to the tables, please also describe the data.
I suggest authors have to combine the results and discussion section.
Implications
Authors have to add a section of the implications for future rock restoration management.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Point 1: It is an attractive topic investigate the mechanism of the rock cut slope restoration via the moss growth method. This paper is also well written and the analysis is overall reliable. However, authors have to make the following revisions.
Response 1: We appreciate the reviewer for the positive comments.
Point 2: The title of this paper is vague. What do you mean by geographical effect? A word of geography includes a lot of information.
Response 2: Thank the reviewer for the instructive comment. It’s true that a word of geography includes a lot of information, and here the geographic agents included slope aspect, elevation and lithology. Based on the reviewer’s comment, we have defined the geographic features in the introduction section (Lines 83–84).
Point 3: Abstract
what do you mean by asl? Please by the way add the research gap of existing literature.
Response 3: We apologized for our unclear expression. Here, “a.s.l.” means “above sea level”, and we accordingly illustrated in the Abstract and the texts (Lines 29, 32).
Point 4: Introduction
line 53-58, what do you think the soil properties such as the nutrient and water properties? You should briefly touch such information in the introduction. Please refer:
Mapping cation exchange capacity using a quasi-3d joint inversion of EM38 and EM31 data. Soil and Tillage Research, 200, 104618.
A Vis‐NIR Spectral Library to Predict Clay in Australian Cotton Growing Soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 82(6), 1347-1357.
Soil organic carbon prediction by multi-digital data fusion for nitrogen management in a sugarcane field. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 1-18.
Response 4: Thanks a lot. These relevant literatures have been cited, and the information on the soil properties also have been briefly described in the Introduction (Lines 58–59).
Point 5: Introduction
Line 69-70, authors have to present structured research gap. For instance, why do we need to explore the moss-soil further? What are the specific characteristics?
Response 5: Thank the reviewer for the comment. Accordingly, The description on the existing research basis and significance for mosses on roadside slopes has been supplemented in the Introduction (Lines 73–78).
Point 6: Introduction
Furthermore, authors have not well defined the geographic features. Please improve the introduction section. How do you consider the rainfall, temperature and sunshine?
Response 6: Thanks a lot. Accordingly, we have defined the geographic features in the Introduction (Lines 83–84). Rainfall, temperature and sunshine are overall considered as the factor "Climate".
Point 7: Materials and methods:
Authors have not presented the rock cut information in Section 2.1.
Response 7: Thank the reviewer for the suggestion. We have added the rock cut information in the Section 2.1. The basic conditions of the sampling rock cut slopes, e.g., geographic coordinates, elevation, aspect and height, have been presented in the revised manuscript (Lines 105–107).
Point 8: Materials and methods
Subsection 2.2.1. Please also refer Fig.1, the sampling sites.
Response 8: Yes, the reference to Figure 1 for the sampling sites has been added in Subsection 2.2.1 (Line 116).
Point 9: Materials and methods
Subsection 2.2.3 Are you sure the ANOVA methods is usable? Have you tested the sample distribution (normality)?
Response 9: Thank the reviewer for the comment. We have set several quadrats at each sample point, and fixed other geographical factors when discussing the influence of factor, thus the ANOVA methods is applicable. The data we tested are normally distributed (Lines 154–156).
Point 10: Results and discussion
Figure 2 can be improved. Please add more explanations.
Response 10: Yes, we have added the fitting curves and equations in Figure 2.
Point 11: Results and discussion
In analysis section relevant to the tables, please also describe the data.
Response 11: Yes, the description on the data related to the table in analysis section has been added (Tables 7, Lines 373–376).
Point 12: Results and discussion
I suggest authors have to combine the results and discussion section.
Response 12: We appreciate the reviewer for the suggestion. With respect to the multiple geographic variables which control the moss-soil system development and complex interaction between the geographic variables and development indicators, we cannot definitely be available to understand and identify the relationship if combine the results and discussion section. Therefore, we have to describe the overall characteristics of mosses and soils developed on rock cut slopes in the sampling area in the section Results, and analysed the impact of geographical variables on the development of moss-soil crust in the section Discussion.
Point 13: Implications
Authors have to add a section of the implications for future rock restoration management.
Response 13: Thank for the reviewer’s comment. Accordingly, we have added the implications for future rock restoration management in the Conclusions (Lines 419–421).
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear authors,
Your paper addresses an interesting research topic, namely the formation of moss-soil crust in mountain regions, as part of the process of natural ecological restoration, and complements other research, which were essentially focused on lower regions as altitude and with more favorable conditions for the establishment of vegetation on rock cut slopes.
The research, described in a logical sequence, highlights the influence that different factors considered (time, climate, altitude, lithology, etc.) have on the process of moss-soil crust formation and development, but also on soil accumulation.
Detailed aspects related to the major influence of time, of climatic characteristics (specific to alpine and subalpine regions), the ecological successions observed in the studied sites, the evolution of moss-soil crust on different substrates (limestone and sandstone) with different aspects, the speed of rock cut slopes coverage with moss and the growth rate of biomass depending on altitude and implicitly moisture are presented. Additionally, data related to the soil accumulation process and nutrient content are also presented.
I consider it to be a solid and complex research, which involved a considerable number of observation sites (a total of 335 quadrats on 35 rock cut slopes), time and resources consuming and challenging by the need to combine knowledge from geology, biology, ecology, climatology and pedology.
All of the above leads me to recommend the article for publication.
However, there are also two observations:
1. The paper must be verified by a native or a very good English speaker, as some grammatical construction mistakes have slipped into its content.
2. I do not think that the format of the paper is consistent with the template of the publication.
Congratulations on your research effort and good luck in the future!
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 3 Comments
Point 1: Your paper addresses an interesting research topic, namely the formation of moss-soil crust in mountain regions, as part of the process of natural ecological restoration, and complements other research, which were essentially focused on lower regions as altitude and with more favorable conditions for the establishment of vegetation on rock cut slopes.
The research, described in a logical sequence, highlights the influence that different factors considered (time, climate, altitude, lithology, etc.) have on the process of moss-soil crust formation and development, but also on soil accumulation.
Detailed aspects related to the major influence of time, of climatic characteristics (specific to alpine and subalpine regions), the ecological successions observed in the studied sites, the evolution of moss-soil crust on different substrates (limestone and sandstone) with different aspects, the speed of rock cut slopes coverage with moss and the growth rate of biomass depending on altitude and implicitly moisture are presented. Additionally, data related to the soil accumulation process and nutrient content are also presented.
I consider it to be a solid and complex research, which involved a considerable number of observation sites (a total of 335 quadrats on 35 rock cut slopes), time and resources consuming and challenging by the need to combine knowledge from geology, biology, ecology, climatology and pedology.
All of the above leads me to recommend the article for publication.
Response 1: We appreciate the reviewer for the positive comments.
Point 2: The paper must be verified by a native or a very good English speaker, as some grammatical construction mistakes have slipped into its content.
Response 2: Thank the reviewer for the suggestion. Our article has revised by a professional editing agency (AJE), and we checked the grammatical mistakes. The "editing certificate" is shown in the attachment files.
Point 3: I do not think that the format of the paper is consistent with the template of the publication.
Response 3: Five sections including introduction, materials and methods, results, discussions and conclusions have been required to the manuscript which submitted to the journal. We tried to make the format of the paper is consistent with the template of the publication. The sections Results and Discussion have been combined in most papers published in this journal combine but for a few article. In this manuscript, due to the multiple geographic variables which control the moss-soil system development and complex interaction between the geographic variables and development indicators, we have to describe the overall characteristics of mosses and soils developed on rock cut slopes in the sampling area in the section Results, and probe the impact of geographical variables on the development of moss-soil crust in the section Discussion. The format of the titles, figures, tables and cited References has been revised to meet the requirement of the publication template. And we have added the Acknowledgments section (Lines 439–441).
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
N/A
