Use of Edaphic Bioindicators to Mitigate Environmental Impact and Improve Agricultural Research and Training
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors1.Abstract (Line 12-22): Clarify the implications of substituting a sustained territorial model for a sustainable one. Provide examples of sustainable models that have been successfully implemented to make this point more concrete.
2.Introduction (Line 26-42): Elaborate on the social resilience aspects mentioned. How exactly does social resilience manifest in the context of agricultural sustainability? Provide specific instances or case studies if possible.
3.Section on EU Regulations (Line 33-51): Update or verify the references to EU regulations and their implications for non-native species and ecosystem invasions. The current discussion might benefit from the latest EU strategies or frameworks on biodiversity.
4.Methodology (Line 134-152): Provide more details on the selection criteria for the sampling plots. How were these plots deemed representative of the broader ecological region? This would strengthen the reliability of the research methodology.
5.Results - Edaphic Analysis (Line 222-250): Include a comparative analysis or a visual representation (like a graph) to better illustrate changes in soil parameters over time. This would make the results more accessible to readers.
6.Discussion on Invasive Species (Line 72-109): Add more recent studies or data to support the statements on the impact of invasive species and climate change on agriculture. This would enhance the credibility of the arguments.
7.Figure 1 Caption (Line 153): The caption for Figure 1 should be expanded to explain what the reader is looking at and why it’s important. How do the locations relate to the study’s findings?
8.References (Line 589-593): Ensure all references are up to date and relevant. Consider adding more recent publications to reflect the latest research in the field of soil science and sustainability.
9.Conclusion (Line 557-570): Strengthen the conclusion by linking back to the objectives stated in the introduction. Emphasize the practical applications of the study’s findings and suggest directions for future research.
10.Technical Terminology and Jargon (Throughout): Consider simplifying or explaining technical terms and jargon for readability and to make the paper accessible to a wider audience, including policymakers and practitioners in the field of environmental conservation.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThe quality of the English language in this manuscript is generally high, indicating that the authors have taken care to ensure clarity and readability. However, I recommend a thorough proofreading pass to refine some sentences and ensure grammatical precision. Correcting minor errors and awkward phrasings will enhance the manuscript's overall presentation and make the scientific arguments more persuasive. This attention to detail will be beneficial for reaching a global audience and maintaining the manuscript’s professional tone.
Author Response
REPLY REVISOR 1
Dear reviewer, we sincerely appreciate your comments that have helped us to improve the article.
1.Abstract (Line 12-22): Clarify the implications of substituting a sustained territorial model for a sustainable one. Provide examples of sustainable models that have been successfully implemented to make this point more concrete.
Reply
A paragraph is included clarifying why sustainable development should be substituted for sustained development. As an example, we are committed to ecological agriculture and CO2 reduction.
2.Introduction (Line 26-42): Elaborate on the social resilience aspects mentioned. How exactly does social resilience manifest in the context of agricultural sustainability? Provide specific instances or case studies if possible.
Reply
We provide information on social resilience and several new references that support it. References 1, 3 and 8
3.Section on EU Regulations (Line 33-51): Update or verify the references to EU regulations and their implications for non-native species and ecosystem invasions. The current discussion might benefit from the latest EU strategies or frameworks on biodiversity.
Reply
We verified and updated the EU references, where the implications of alien species and invasions are included. Reference 5
4.Methodology (Line 134-152): Provide more details on the selection criteria for the sampling plots. How were these plots deemed representative of the broader ecological region? This would strengthen the reliability of the research methodology.
Reply
We provide a paragraph clarifying the criteria we have followed for the selection of the sampling plots.
The plots are chosen according to the dominant species of the community, to its greater representation in the study area and with a wide distribution in the Mediterranean, as occurs for example with communities dominated by Hordeum leporinum, Malva neglecta, Taenietherum caput-medusae, Glebionis discolor, so that the model can be extrapolated to other Mediterranean territories.
5.Results - Edaphic Analysis (Line 222-250): Include a comparative analysis or a visual representation (like a graph) to better illustrate changes in soil parameters over time. This would make the results more accessible to readers.
Reply
A new comparative graph is included for the evolution of soil parameters between 2005* and 2018 ** (Figure 2).
6.Discussion on Invasive Species (Line 72-109): Add more recent studies or data to support the statements on the impact of invasive species and climate change on agriculture. This would enhance the credibility of the arguments.
Reply
We provide 10 references on climate change and invasive species affecting crops, among these references we include the Royal Decree 630/2013, of August 2, which regulates the Spanish catalog of invasive alien species, all these references endorse the problem between agriculture, climate change and invasions. References 25-34
7.Figure 1 Caption (Line 153): The caption for Figure 1 should be expanded to explain what the reader is looking at and why it’s important. How do the locations relate to the study’s findings?
Reply
We have expanded the information at the bottom of figure 1 to clarify the reader's understanding of the following
8.References (Line 589-593): Ensure all references are up to date and relevant. Consider adding more recent publications to reflect the latest research in the field of soil science and sustainability.
Reply
We have reviewed all the references, new ones have been added, so we have renumbered all the references in the text. We consider that due to the strong and pressing problem all references make sense.
9.Conclusion (Line 557-570): Strengthen the conclusion by linking back to the objectives stated in the introduction. Emphasize the practical applications of the study’s findings and suggest directions for future research.
Reply
We provide the following information
In general, the agricultural techniques used worldwide are aggressive with the natural environment, this is due to a global demand for food, so that agricultural companies and companies supplying chemical products to farmers have proliferated, at the same time there has been no training in rural society for the management of chemical pollutants, and universities and research centers have not worked on edaphic bioindicators. At the present time, society demands sustainable development, which will only be possible through knowledge of resources and their rational use, and for this it is necessary to train future managers in this development model.
For a quality training applicable to agriculture, research must continue in various botanical-ecological and edaphic aspects, in which correlations are established that allow us to better understand the ecological niche of the species.
10.Technical Terminology and Jargon (Throughout): Consider simplifying or explaining technical terms and jargon for readability and to make the paper accessible to a wider audience, including policymakers and practitioners in the field of environmental conservation.
Reply
We have clarified the meaning of some scientific terms. We have also reordered the paragraphs to make them shorter and easier to understand for potential readers.
The quality of the English language in this manuscript is generally high, indicating that the authors have taken care to ensure clarity and readability. However, I recommend a thorough proofreading pass to refine some sentences and ensure grammatical precision. Correcting minor errors and awkward phrasings will enhance the manuscript's overall presentation and make the scientific arguments more persuasive. This attention to detail will be beneficial for reaching a global audience and maintaining the manuscript’s professional tone.
Reply
The English language has been reviewed by an expert
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors“Proposal for A Sustainable Development Model to Mitigate Environmental Impact Through the Use of Edaphic Bioindicators: the Need for their Use in Research and University Teaching for the Training of Experts.” is an interesting study on providing a model of territorial management, which will be helpful for esearchers and university teachers. This research has rich contents and detailed data, however, the research topic does not cover the research contents well. I think that the first half of the research topic is reasonable, and the second half (after the colon) should be deleted. Otherwise, the correlation between the two should be explained in detail through data analysis. In addition, in the introduction of this research, the contents are somewhat scattered and need to be refined and summarized by the authors with effective connections between paragraphs, progress gradually and emphasis on key points. The format of the reference section also needs to be carefully standardized by the authors, for example: some paragraphs in the title of the paper have capitalized first letters, and some words have capitalized first letters.
Author Response
REPLY REVISOR 2
Dear reviewer, thank you for your comments, which have helped us to improve the article.
“Proposal for A Sustainable Development Model to Mitigate Environmental Impact Through the Use of Edaphic Bioindicators: the Need for their Use in Research and University Teaching for the Training of Experts.” is an interesting study on providing a model of territorial management, which will be helpful for esearchers and university teachers. This research has rich contents and detailed data, however, the research topic does not cover the research contents well. I think that the first half of the research topic is reasonable, and the second half (after the colon) should be deleted. Otherwise, the correlation between the two should be explained in detail through data analysis. In addition, in the introduction of this research, the contents are somewhat scattered and need to be refined and summarized by the authors with effective connections between paragraphs, progress gradually and emphasis on key points. The format of the reference section also needs to be carefully standardized by the authors, for example: some paragraphs in the title of the paper have capitalized first letters, and some words have capitalized first letters.
Reply
Regarding the deletion of the second part of the title, we appreciate your comment, but the study aims to present a research methodology, which can be transmitted for the training of managers. The problem is really pressing because this subject is not explained in universities. However, it is urgent to teach it in order to achieve sustainable agricultural management. For all these reasons, we prefer to leave the second part of the title, although it could be modified in response to your comment. We think that “the Need for their Use in Research and University Teaching for the Training of Experts” could be replaced by “and Enhance Research and Teaching in Agricultural Training”.
Regarding the other comments, we have revised the text so that there are no anomalies, paragraphs have been shortened. The references have all been checked and corrected, and even some paragraphs have been reordered.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsFirstly, it is important say that, from the beginning, this manuscript is very difficult to follow.
The title introduces concepts that are later not studied nor discussed in the manuscript. The title states that the authors will propose a sustainable development model using soil bioindicators and the conclusion of this work is that the phytosociological approach is the best option to achieve sustainable development, without a specific proposal. And secondly, there is no study or reference of the need to train experts and use in research and university teaching. Furthermore, this study focuses on agricultural areas of a very specific semiarid region and so this title is too ambitious for the area where data has been extracted from.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
As stated in the survey, English needs to be thoroughly revised.
Sentences are too long and difficult to follow. Hence, authors need to shorten them, nailing what they want to say.
Author Response
REPLY REVISOR 3
Dear reviewer, thank you for your comments that have helped us to improve the text.
Firstly, it is important say that, from the beginning, this manuscript is very difficult to follow.
The title introduces concepts that are later not studied nor discussed in the manuscript. The title states that the authors will propose a sustainable development model using soil bioindicators and the conclusion of this work is that the phytosociological approach is the best option to achieve sustainable development, without a specific proposal. And secondly, there is no study or reference of the need to train experts and use in research and university teaching. Furthermore, this study focuses on agricultural areas of a very specific semiarid region and so this title is too ambitious for the area where data has been extracted from.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
As stated in the survey, English needs to be thoroughly revised.
Sentences are too long and difficult to follow. Hence, authors need to shorten them, nailing what they want to say.
Reply
Dear reviewer, thank you for your comments that have helped us to improve the text.
We understand your uneasiness when reading the article. With the corrections we have made, the paragraphs have been shortened and the English language has been revised by an expert.
Indeed, the phytosociological approach with the application of statistical techniques has allowed us to implement an important methodology for the knowledge of soil bioindicators.
In our opinion, there is a proposal, which consists of continuing research on bioindicators and applying them to management, for which university students need to be trained.
Training is necessary, since this research is not taught in universities, because it is not included in the curricula.
I can affirm that the area under study is dry according to different bioclimatic studies, not semi-arid, if it is true that it is a specific area, but the species used are widely distributed in the Mediterranean, so it can be extrapolated to other places.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
