Phytoplankton Diversity, Abundance and Toxin Synthesis Potential in the Lakes of Natural and Urban Landscapes in Permafrost Conditions

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

 

The manuscript covers a very interesting topic and it is a piece of valuable work, in particular, if we take into account that eutrophic conditions are an increasingly common phenomenon in aquatic ecosystems worldwide under which specific cyanobacterial species can synthesize toxic secondary metabolites, cyanotoxins which can be harmful to the environment and the living world including humans. Hence, this study provides important knowledge about potentially toxic cyanobacteria and the possibility of CyanoHAB occurrence in lakes of cryolithozone region that are not subject to anthropogenic impact. At the end I would like to say that I was enjoying reading this manuscript. I have just a few comments I wrote below:

• In the Introduction section please add a few sentences about cyanobacteria, their fundamental role in the aquatic ecosystem, some potentially toxic species...
• Line 110 - The arrows and numbers in red. Do you mean in white?
• It would be nice to insert a Figure with micrographs of the dominant phytoplankton species.

 

Sincerely,

The reviewer

Author Response

Dear Editor and the Reviewer 1,

Thank you for your comments. Please find below the responses to each comment.

With best regards,

Prof Sophia Barinova,

Corresponding author

Responses to the comments of Reviewer 1.

1. In the Introduction section please add a few sentences about cyanobacteria, their fundamental role in the aquatic ecosystem, some potentially toxic species...

Response: added to the Introduction

2. Line 110 - The arrows and numbers in red. Do you mean in white?

Response: Corrected

3. It would be nice to insert a Figure with micrographs of the dominant phytoplankton species.

Response: Added a Figure with microphotographs of dominant species

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript entittled „Phytoplankton diversity, abundance and toxin synthesis potential in lakes of natural and urban landscapes in permafrost conditions“ studied five lakes of various genesis, located both in the urbanized territory of Yakutsk city and its suburbs and in natural landscapes at a distance  from impact area. The authors have made a significant contribution by sharing this research in the field of  aquatic ecosystems and water bodies pollution. The methods are adequately described and the results are clearly presented. However, here are some suggestions for authors written as comments below.

Comment 1:

Line 19-this sentence should be paraphrased in order not to start with the species number.

Comment 2:

The introduction section can be enhanced with giving more informations about recent published data about anthropogenic impact on aquatic ecosystems, algae bloom, or water bodies pollution in general (within the lines 38-46). Also, informations about cyanobacteria, Dinoflagellata,....

Comment 3:

Lines 132, 133: Identification of microalgae species was performed in accordance with [19–27]....This statement should be completed

Comment 4:

Should nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, mineral phosphorus etc. also be written as formulas?

Comment 5:

Figure 3 – describe a) and b). Same with other figures  (eg. what is a, b, c, d)

Comment 6:

The conclusion section should indicate what is the main contribution of the present results . The authors have stated that  for the first time in the region, potentially toxic cyanobacteria have been found and that the monitoring is required. What would be the main steps for this in future locally for Yakutia  in the permafrost area and widely? 

Comment 7:

Chech the journals references guide.

 

Author Response

Dear Editor and the Reviewer 2,

Thank you for your comments. Please find below the responses to each comment.

With best regards,

Prof Sophia Barinova,

Corresponding author

 

Responses to the comments of Reviewer 2.

Comment 1: Line 19-this sentence should be paraphrased in order not to start with the species number.

Response: Corrected

Comment 2: The introduction section can be enhanced with giving more informations about recent published data about anthropogenic impact on aquatic ecosystems, algae bloom, or water bodies pollution in general (within the lines 38-46). Also, informations about cyanobacteria, Dinoflagellata,....

Response: Thanks for the valuable comment, we have added information about cyanobacteria to lines 46-47 of the Introduction, and about dinoflagellates to line 416 of the Discussion, since the freshwater species we found are non-toxic and it was a bit illogical to mention them in the Introduction.

Comment 3: Lines 132, 133: Identification of microalgae species was performed in accordance with [19–27]....This statement should be completed

Response: Corrected

Comment 4: Should nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, mineral phosphorus etc. also be written as formulas?

Response: We used formulas if it is in calculations, as in equation 1 or in Tables, and if in text, then as you recommend, in words. In Figure description it is corrected.

Comment 5: Figure 3 – describe a) and b). Same with other figures  (eg. what is a, b, c, d)

Response: Corrected

Comment 6: The conclusion section should indicate what is the main contribution of the present results . The authors have stated that  for the first time in the region, potentially toxic cyanobacteria have been found and that the monitoring is required. What would be the main steps for this in future locally for Yakutia  in the permafrost area and widely? 

Response: Corrected and moved to the end of Discussion as “Detection of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in urban and suburban lakes of Yakutsk used for recreational purposes may pose a threat to the population and requires monitoring of biological indicators and phytoplankton with subsequent statistical mapping of quantitative results. In areas of population and industrial concentration in the cryolithozone, remote sensing of lake blooms during the summer period of maximum temperatures can be recommended. And for blooming lakes, where cyanobacterial toxins have not been previously determined, summer screening of cyanotoxins by molecular methods is recommended”.

Comment 7: Check the journals references guide.

Response: Corrected