Function Evolution of Oasis Cultivated Land and Its Trade-Off and Synergy Relationship in Xinjiang, China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Accept in present form.
Author Response
Response to Reviewers Comments
Land-1877144
Research on Function Evolution of Oasis Cultivated Land and Its Trade-off and Synergy Relationship in Xinjiang, China
20-Aug-2022
Thank you for your positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript. According to these recommendations, we have made careful modification in our manuscript. The reviewers’ suggestions are marked in blue, and our responses are marked in black. The detailed information can also be seen in our revised manuscript (with changes marked). We used the revision mode of the Word Software to modify the manuscript. The main corrections and the responds to the Reviewer’s comments are as follows:
Response to Reviewer 1
- Moderate English changes required.
R: Thanks for the suggestion. We have done a language retouching of all the content of our manuscript through the professional language service company. The revised details can be found in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
- Accept in present form.
R: Thank you very much for your recognition of our manuscript. We will continue to work hard in the future. Best wishes to you!
Reviewer 2 Report
This is an interesting study. Using the data of several time points spanning several decades in Xinjiang, the author tries to analyze the characteristics and evolution rules of the three-organism space. The following points are for your reference:
(1) Core concepts need to be further defined. Some basic core concepts need to be systematically introduced in the research, for example, what is three-life space. Readers can better understand the problems the author wants to solve only after the core concepts are clear.
(2) Theoretical analysis needs to be further strengthened. The current research lacks dialogue with classical theories, so it needs to be further clarified under the guidance of what theories are the indicators selected in this study. For example, the theory of three lives. What are the development context and core ideas of this theory, and how to guide the selection of indicators and research design of this study, all of which need to be further explained systematically.
(3) The analytical context of the study suggests a systematic introduction before the development of the text. For example, what is the logic of choosing the current research methods in this study, and why is the logic arranged according to the current method order?
(4) Research needs to have a separate policy implications section. It is suggested that the author condense some policy implications according to the core research results.
Author Response
Response to Reviewers Comments
Land-1877144
Research on Function Evolution of Oasis Cultivated Land and Its Trade-off and Synergy Relationship in Xinjiang, China
20-Aug-2022
Thank you for your positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript. According to these recommendations, we have made careful modification in our manuscript. The reviewers’ suggestions are marked in blue, and our responses are marked in black. The detailed information can also be seen in our revised manuscript (with changes marked). We used the revision mode of the Word Software to modify the manuscript. The main corrections and the responds to the Reviewer’s comments are as follows:
Response to Reviewer 2
- Core concepts need to be further defined. Some basic core concepts need to be systematically introduced in the research, for example, what is three-life space. Readers can better understand the problems the author wants to solve only after the core concepts are clear.
R: Thank you for your suggestion. We have given a clear conceptual definition of the social, economic and ecological functions of oasis cultivated land (OCL) in our manuscript. Specifically, the social function of cultivated land (SFC) in Xinjiang is reflected in the important role of OCL in safeguarding food security and supporting farmers’ employment in the process of social and economic development of the oasis region, which is directly associated with the stability of Xinjiang. The economic function of cultivated land (ENFC) in Xinjiang is reflected in the important role of OCL in promoting regional economic development and increasing farmers’ income by producing agricultural products and participating in market transactions to obtain economic benefits. The ecological function of cultivated land (ELFC) in Xinjiang is reflected in the important role of OCL in maintaining oasis stability, protecting biodiversity, maintaining farmland soil health, and increasing carbon sequestration.
The specific content can be found in Line 883-887 of page 5, in Line 902-905 of page 5 and in Line 1271-1273 of page 7 in the revised manuscript with changes marked, respectively.
- Theoretical analysis needs to be further strengthened. The current research lacks dialogue with classical theories, so it needs to be further clarified under the guidance of what theories are the indicators selected in this study. For example, the theory of three lives. What are the development context and core ideas of this theory, and how to guide the selection of indicators and research design of this study, all of which need to be further explained systematically.
R: Thank you for your suggestion. According to your suggestion, we have strengthened the theoretical analysis of the functional connotation of oasis cultivated land. The revised details can be found in Line 833-893 of page 4-5 in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
However, it needs to be explained that we derived the three functions of oasis cultivated land (social function, economic function and ecological function), rather than the three lives function (production function, living function and ecological function) as understood by the reviewers. In addition, we have clearly defined the concept of three functions of oasis cultivated land (social function, economic function and ecological function), and discussed their special connotations in depth. On this basis, we finally selected specific quantitative indicators that can characterize the functions of three oasis cultivated land combined with the actual situation in Xinjiang and the research results of existing scholars. The details can be found in Line 883-1277 of page 5-7 in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
3.The analytical context of the study suggests a systematic introduction before the development of the text. For example, what is the logic of choosing the current research methods in this study, and why is the logic arranged according to the current method order?
R: Thank you for your suggestion. Based on your suggestions, we have completed the introduction to the research methodology in the introduction. Specifically, the evaluation methods of cultivated land functions in the existing research include the comprehensive functional index evaluation method, the value evaluation method, the material quality evaluation method, the energy analysis method, etc. However, the comprehensive functional index evaluation method is the most used quantitative method at present. Given its advantages of the application at multiple scales, the ability to describe multiple function types, and facilitating comparison between functions, it has been widely used in existing studies. Therefore, this is the main reason why our study chose this method to quantify the function of oasis cultivated land. The revised details can be found in Line 224-228 of page 4 in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
In terms of the interaction between cultivated land functions, the research methods of ecosystem service trade-off and synergy have been adopted for measurement, such as the correlation co-efficient method, bivariate spatial autocorrelation method, gray T-relational model, and coupling coordination degree, etc. However, in specific research processes, the above quantitative methods need to be selectively used in combination with their respective research scales and data support. As only four time sections (incl. 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018) were involved in the calculation of CLFs of varying counties in the study, the demands for sample size in the typical mathematical statistics methods cannot be satisfied. In that case, the trade-off and synergy among the functions of OCL were analyzed using gray T-relational model improved by Huang and Wang. With no strict requirement for sample size, the model adopted describes the strength, size, and order of the relations between factors using the order of gray correlation, which is superior in terms of uniqueness, symmetry, stability, and standardization. It can also be used for reflecting the positive and negative correlations of the sequence. Therefore, this is the main reason why our study chose this method to quantify the trade-offs and synergies between the functions of oasis cultivated land. The revised details can be found in Line 242-248 of page 2 and in Line 1416-1424 of page 8 in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
4.Research needs to have a separate policy implications section. It is suggested that the author condense some policy implications according to the core research results.
R: Thank you for your reminding. In our original manuscript, we have put forward some policy suggestions on the multifunctional collaborative management of cultivated land in Xinjiang based on the research conclusions. These policy suggestions can be seen in detail in Section 4.2 of the Discussion section of the manuscript. These can be found in Line 2820-2988, page 16-17 in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
However, we have also revised the title of Section 4.2 of the paper based on your suggestion to give more prominence to the policy recommendations.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear all,
Thanks for the invitation to review this manuscript.
The topic is very relevant and the work has scientific soundness. Also, in my opinion, it could contribute to some advance in the thematic literature as well as to be a catalyst for similar studies in different locations.
Based on the exposed, I recommend the manuscript acceptance.
best,
Author Response
Response to Reviewers Comments
Land-1877144
Research on Function Evolution of Oasis Cultivated Land and Its Trade-off and Synergy Relationship in Xinjiang, China
20-Aug-2022
Thank you for your positive and constructive comments and suggestions on our manuscript. According to these recommendations, we have made careful modification in our manuscript. The reviewers’ suggestions are marked in blue, and our responses are marked in black. The detailed information can also be seen in our revised manuscript (with changes marked). We used the revision mode of the Word Software to modify the manuscript. The main corrections and the responds to the Reviewer’s comments are as follows:
Response to Reviewer 3
- English language and style are fine/minor spell check required.
R: Thanks for the suggestion. We have done a language retouching of all the content of our manuscript through the professional language service company. The revised details can be found in the revised manuscript with changes marked.
- The topic is very relevant and the work has scientific soundness. Also, in my opinion, it could contribute to some advance in the thematic literature as well as to be a catalyst for similar studies in different locations.
Based on the exposed, I recommend the manuscript acceptance.
R: Thank you very much for your recognition of our manuscript. We will continue to work hard in the future. Best wishes to you!
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
I have no other comments, thank you.
