Dear Prof. Wei,
Thank you for submitting the revised manuscript to BG
The major criticisms have been addressed and few minor concerns are the following:
(1) L1-2. The title may be rephrased as follows: Transcriptional activities of methanogens and methanotrophs vary with methane emission flux in rice soils under chronic nutrients constraints of phosphorus and potassium; or Field methane emission is associated with transcriptional activities of methanogens and methanotrophs in rice soils under chronic nutrients constraints of phosphorus and potassium.
(2) L13. It may be rephrased: Nutrient status in soil is crucial for the growth and development of plants which indirectly/directly affect the ecophysiological functions of resident soil microorganisms.
(3) L17. Delete are.
(4) L30. A concluding remark might be added. For example, these results suggest that population dynamics of methanogens and methanotrophs vary along with plant growth stage and soil property changes under nutrient deficiency.
(5) L73. Pls add a reference about nitrogen fertilizers on methane emission: Bodelier PLE, Roslev P, Henckel T, Frenzel P (2000). Stimulation by ammonium-based fertilizers of methane oxidation in soil around rice roots. Nature 403: 421-424
(6) L409. It may be rephrased as following: but to what it can be generalized remains unclear, considering the remkarble soil heterogenity.

Yours Sincerely

Zhongjun Jia

Dear Prof. Wei,

Thank you for submitting the revised manuscript to BG.

The ms fits well with the scope of BG, and I would like to have your attention for a minor concern before publication

(1) L211. methane-cycling microbes might be replaced by methanotrophs and methaogens
(2) the subtitles in L283 and L311. please use the term consistently. (under depleting soil available P and K circumstance; under exhausting soil available P and K circumstance). I guess it may not be depleted for P and K?. maybe the subtitle can be used with "Shifts of methanogenic populations and transcripts in soil with P and K deficiency.

Yours Sincerely

Zhongjun Jia