THÈSE - Université de Franche-Comté

attention to their work, and also adds internal integrity to the Journal’s themes. However
I would like you to accomplish this whilst cutting back on the total number of references
cited to around 50.
We have removed 17 references from the text. We also have replaced three of them with
others from recent papers of the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Referees' comments
Referee 1
Comment 1 : The discussion is too long and could be summarised more clearly. In
particular, it would be helpful for the description of local farming practices (lines 324-
335) to be placed earlier in the discussion. It is in this section that we discover that
autumn grazing = more cutting. This means that factors that cause high max density (aut
graz) and least delay (cutting) are linked and that areas managed to produce hay have
the least delay and peak higher. This high peak in areas with low grazing is also shown
independently by the high density study sites. Thus, the different parts of the study could
be combined and summarised much more clearly.
This section has been synthetized and re-structured.
Comment 2 : In the summary it describes the study as covering the early increase phase,
yet 4 years appears to cover the entire increase phase. Indeed declines can be seen in
Figure 2.
This is now taken into account. We considered A. terrestris relative densities from low
density to the maximal value in order to obtain a study period which coincided with the
increase phase of an A. terrestris population cycle. Then, to make the study period clearer
for the reader, we replaced “the early stages of the increase phase” with simply “increase
phase” in the entire manuscript.
Comment 3 : On page 7, line 166 it states that parcels were selected where T. europaea
was absent yet the T. europaea density was then monitored in these parcels (?)
This section of the MM has been re-written accordingly: page 7, lines 178-184.
Comment 4 : On page 7, line 169 ‘included’ should be ‘inclusive’
This has been corrected: page 7, line 183.
Comment 5 : Page 7, line 178 should be changed to ‘…. Selected to investigate either
grass or soil distrubances’. At present it is difficult to understand the methodology for
examination of the high density phase. Similarly table 2 could be made clearer by
splitting the rows for ‘grazing’ from the rows for ‘soil work’.
July 05 A. terrestris and farming practices
C. Morilhat, N. Bernard, C. Bournais, C. Meyer, C. Lamboley and P. Giraudoux
2