Transformation of Phytoplankton Communities in the High Arctic: Ecological Properties of Species

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is based on solid empirical data and is important for understanding the response of the planktonic algal community to changing environmental parameters in this Arctic region, as these species develop at the interface between freshwater ice and the salinity gradient. The authors' own data, obtained during their Arctic expedition, are used. A significant list of references is provided, all of which comply with the journal's citation standards, and each reference is included. Another positive aspect is the statistical processing of the collected data, and the fact that some tables have been translated into the Supplement, which makes the text and illustrations within the article itself easier to understand.

The article is suitable for publication in Diversity after major revision, as it makes a significant contribution to understanding ecosystem dynamics across the Arctic climate gradient.

However, there are several significant issues that should be addressed before publication.

1) The article title can be changed to "Transformation of Phytoplankton Communities in the High Arctic: Ecological Properties of Species," as your title suggests a conclusion.

2) The Publisher's guidelines, and especially those of Diversity, require full species names with authors at the first mention of each. It is recommended to follow these guidelines and add the authors' names to the species names both in the text and in the Supplement.

3) In Figure 1, the caption does not indicate the meaning of the red arrows. We can only assume that they indicate the direction of water movement, but the meaning should be specified in the Figure Legend.

4) Figure 2 should be replaced. Please note the dimensions in the axis labels and the figure resolution.

5) The title of Table 4 indicates depth in the abbreviated form as H, but in the Supplement, the abbreviation is lowercase. Standardize this and pay attention to the figure captions with this parameter. 6) Figure 3 – Add units to Salinity.

7) Figure 4 – Add the correct unit names for the axes. These are not absolute values, but concentration per cubic meter.

8) Figure 5 – Add units in the axis labels and legend and note the figure's resolution.

9) Figure 6 – Note the Temperature units and also provide the Salinity units.

10) Figure 7 – Add the correct units to the axes.

11) Figure 8 – Axis labels and resolution.

12) Please note the spelling error in the species name of Gyrodinium lachryma, it should be Gyrodinium lacryma (Meunier) Kofoid & Swezy 1921

13) The species Navicula planamembranacea is a synonym of Ephemera planamembranacea (Hendey) Paddock 1988, check throughout the text and in the Supplement.

14) Minor edits: line 411, it says A.K.;; should be A.K.;

Author Response

The authors thank the reviewer for their valuable comments. These have been addressed by making the appropriate revisions to the manuscript.

Comment 1) The article title can be changed to "Transformation of Phytoplankton Communities in the High Arctic: Ecological Properties of Species," as your title suggests a conclusion.

Responses: Changed

Comment 2) The Publisher's guidelines, and especially those of Diversity, require full species names with authors at the first mention of each. It is recommended to follow these guidelines and add the authors' names to the species names both in the text and in the Supplement

Responses: Changed

3) In Figure 1, the caption does not indicate the meaning of the red arrows. We can only assume that they indicate the direction of water movement, but the meaning should be specified in the Figure Legend.

Responses: Changed

4) Figure 2 should be replaced. Please note the dimensions in the axis labels and the figure resolution.

Responses:

5) The title of Table 4 indicates depth in the abbreviated form as H, but in the Supplement, the abbreviation is lowercase. Standardize this and pay attention to the figure captions with this parameter.

Responses: Changed

 6) Figure 3 – Add units to Salinity.

Responses: Changed

7) Figure 4 – Add the correct unit names for the axes. These are not absolute values, but concentration per cubic meter.

Responses: Changed

8) Figure 5 – Add units in the axis labels and legend and note the figure's resolution.

Responses: Changed

9) Figure 6 – Note the Temperature units and also provide the Salinity units.

Responses: Changed

10) Figure 7 – Add the correct units to the axes.

Responses: Changed

11) Figure 8 – Axis labels and resolution.

Responses: Changed

12) Please note the spelling error in the species name of Gyrodinium lachryma, it should be Gyrodinium lacryma (Meunier) Kofoid & Swezy 1921

Responses: Changed

13) The species Navicula planamembranacea is a synonym of Ephemera planamembranacea (Hendey) Paddock 1988, check throughout the text and in the Supplement.

Responses: It was written in WoRMS “Accepted name: Navicula planamembranacea Hendey, 1964.”

14) Minor edits: line 411, it says A.K.;; should be A.K.;

Responses: Changed

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors

Your study is very interesting and provides valuable data about the adaptation of species to environmental changes. It is important to expand the discussion of the ecological properties of the species, this is a substantial part of their study and therefore the summary should be modified. It's also important to review the nomenclature of some species. Other observations are found in the manuscript, highlighted in blue.
Greetings

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

The authors thank the reviewer for their valuable comments. These have been addressed by making the appropriate revisions to the manuscript.

Your study is very interesting and provides valuable data about the adaptation of species to environmental changes. It is important to expand the discussion of the ecological properties of the species; this is a substantial part of their study and therefore the summary should be modified. It's also important to review the nomenclature of some species.

Responses: We added Section 4.5. Main Patterns and Trends, where we discussed the importance of species' ecological properties for understanding the mechanisms of phytoplankton community transformation from south to north. Accordingly, we significantly revised the abstract.

Other observations are found in the manuscript, highlighted in blue.

Responses: Changed

Comment: Eupyxicula turris (Greville) S. Blanco and C.E. Wetzel

Responses: Changed

Comment: Thalassiosira rotula = Thalassiosira gravida.

Responses: However, molecular genetic studies have shown that these are two species (Whittaker et al., 2012). Morphologically, they are very different. Their ecological properties also reveal differences that are difficult to ignore. Therefore, we have divided them into two species. The future will show whether our decision was correct.

Whittaker, K.A., Rignanese, D.R., Olson, R.J. et al. Molecular subdivision of the marine diatom Thalassiosira rotula in relation to geographic distribution, genome size, and physiology. BMC Evol Biol 12, 209 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-12-209

Comment: So ecological properties related to the temperature, nutrient or salinity?

Responses: In the text, we put forward the hypothesis that for diatoms, the criterion for selective selection is nitrogen concentration, while for dinoflagellates, the controlling factor is temperature.

Comment: that the adaptation of phytoplankton composition to decreasing summer temperatures in high latitudes occurs through the formation of a community dominated by large diatoms and mixotrophic dinoflagellates—is supported

Responses: Changed

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The submitted version of the revised manuscript satisfies the previously stated requirements. The reviewer's responses did not indicate changes to Figure 2; however, the figure in the text has been replaced and is entirely satisfactory. The article may be published in its current form. However, the technical editor should note some minor flaws, such as paragraphs in the bibliography, some unnecessary spaces, etc., which will undoubtedly be corrected during further processing.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors Dear authors The manuscript has improved significantly. Some details need to be corrected, for example, subsp is not written in italics.Greetings

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf