Visual-, Olfactory-, and Nectar-Taste-Based Flower Aposematism^†

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The presented manuscript contains interesting data on visual and olfactory flower aposematism, to which few scientists pay attention or do not specify it fully. The author conducted a detailed review of the literature from 1889 to 2023. His meticulous and detailed work deserves words of appreciation. I highly recommend the paper for publication in Plants.

My only comment concerns the photographs - some photos can be cropped and reduced. I suggest placing them in the form of collective figures consisting of several photos, and not individually, as is the case now.

I also suggest removing the word "olfactory" from the keywords so that it does not duplicate with the words contained in the title.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

I will remove "olfactory" from the keywords.

Thanks for the compliments.

Reviewer 2 Report

This article comprehensively reviewed the major branches of academic research on "flower aposematism" and outlined future research directions. Frankly, I find the author's writing style less appealing. The article could benefit from simpler and more straightforward sentence constructions, as using complex and lengthy sentences to convey simple information could be unpleasant for readers. Additionally, improving the article's structure by establishing clear logical connections within and between paragraphs would enhance the reader's experience.

I have three points to raise:

1.       Why is "nectar-taste-based aposematism" mentioned in the abstract and the main text but not in the title? Could the title be revised to "Visual, Olfactory, and Nectar-Gustatory Flower Aposematism" or something like that?

2.       In the context of plant-herbivore interaction, "repel" and "deter" are different and should not be used interchangeably. Generally, "repellency" refers to the plant's ability to keep herbivores away before they touch or land on the plants, while "deterrence" specifically describes the ability to prevent herbivores from accepting and consuming plant tissue. I recommend a thorough review and appropriate revisions.

3.       It should be "plant defense (or defensive traits/defensive mechanisms) against (not from) herbivores."

Please refer to the attached PDF for additional revision suggestions and comments.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

See 'Suggestions'

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf