Southern Range Expansion of the Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis, in Russia Threatens Ash and Olive Trees in the Middle East and Southern Europe

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript is supplemented with important additional information, refined according to the recommendations of the reviewers and can be printed as presented.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your review of our article.

Reviewer 2 Report

I thank the authors for the considerable work they have done in revising this manuscript. I believe further changes are needed before this manuscript can be published. These are listed below.

The abstract has been completely rewritten and is clearer in context but not in organisation. It should follow a logical structure of study purpose, then methods, then results, then implications. 

Line 51. Olea should be shorted to O.

The placement of the second paragraph in the introduction is odd. At that point in the text it is not clear why life cycle is relevant. Personally, I would start this paragraph with the second sentence of the third paragraph 'Climatic factors....' then add the lifecycle info, then say 'but the main factor determining the potential range....'

The introduction states host availability is the limiting factor but the paper concludes is in not, or unlikely to be. The introduction therefore needs to be reworded to clarify that being limited by host availability is the belief of previous literature.

The introduction should end with the aims/objectives of the study. No. 1 should therefore be along the lines of 'determining whether A. planipennis has now spread to the Caucasus and adjacent areas'. No. 3 is not an aim or objective, it is an expectation or implication having the knowledge and information gained from the study. And after reading the conclusions, it seems like this is the next study you are proposing to do. Some careful rewording is required.  

Line 165. Reword. 'model was based on the assumption that A. planipennis was spreading mainly in forests, though subsequent research has shown that spread is also facilitated by trees outside forests, e.g. urban and roadside plantings'.

Line 259. Which climatic variables are correlated? What parameter did Webb et al measure? plannipennis spelt wrong.  

Line 308. It not just heat availability rather than high heat availability? North America is a big place - this is only relevant if it was measured at a similar latitude. 

Figure 6. The maps need to be labelled as (1), (2) and (3). 

Line 265. Delete last sentence.  

Author Response

Thank you for the review of our manuscript. We have corrected the manuscript according to your advices.

1. The abstract has been completely rewritten and is clearer in context but not in organisation. It should follow a logical structure of study purpose, then methods, then results, then implications. 

• Thank you. The abstract is restructured.

2. Line 51. Olea should be shorted to O.

- Yes.

3. The placement of the second paragraph in the introduction is odd. At that point in the text it is not clear why life cycle is relevant. Personally, I would start this paragraph with the second sentence of the third paragraph 'Climatic factors....' then add the lifecycle info, then say 'but the main factor determining the potential range....'

• Thank you. We have restructured these paragraphs according to your advice.

4. The introduction states host availability is the limiting factor but the paper concludes is in not, or unlikely to be. The introduction therefore needs to be reworded to clarify that being limited by host availability is the belief of previous literature.

• We have reworded this paragraph.

5. The introduction should end with the aims/objectives of the study. No. 1 should therefore be along the lines of 'determining whether A. planipennis has now spread to the Caucasus and adjacent areas'. No. 3 is not an aim or objective, it is an expectation or implication having the knowledge and information gained from the study. And after reading the conclusions, it seems like this is the next study you are proposing to do. Some careful rewording is required.  

• We restructured the end of the introduction to indicate our aims.

6. Line 165. Reword. 'model was based on the assumption that A. planipennis was spreading mainly in forests, though subsequent research has shown that spread is also facilitated by trees outside forests, e.g. urban and roadside plantings'.

• We deleted this sentence.

7. Line 259. Which climatic variables are correlated?

• We deleted the sentence about this correlation

8. What parameter did Webb et al measure?

• We added the description of the approach by Webb et al.

9. plannipennis spelt wrong.  

• Thank you. It is corrected.

10. Line 308. It not just heat availability rather than high heat availability? North America is a big place - this is only relevant if it was measured at a similar latitude. 

• The low growing degree days is a very usual limiting factor of distribution of plants and cold-blooded animals to the north and to the mountains. But their spread to the south is usually limited by low humidity or precipitation, not by high growing degree days. We decided to delete the sentence about high AGDD, because it unlikely this parameter could limit A. planipennis spread to the south.

11. Figure 6. The maps need to be labelled as (1), (2) and (3). 

• We added the labels to the figures.

12. Line 265. Delete last sentence.  

• It is deleted.

Reviewer 3 Report

 Potential threat to Ash Trees and Olive Trees in the Middle  East and Southern Europe: Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis in Russia is Spreading South and Approaching the Caucasus

• There is insufficient evidence that Agrilus planipennis will damage the olive tree. This is only said based on a study. In addition, this study was carried out under laboratory conditions .

Researchers should definitely add if there are other studies done or they should remove the part about the olive tree in manuscript.

• Line 200 wrong [21,26,26,38] please control
• Line 432 Agrilus planipennis not italic please control
• Line 439 Reference 39 controlled

Author names>, 2016.