Dear authors,

The two referees recognize that your study present a nice set of data on long-chain n-alkane distri-butions change in response to incorporation into soils and environmental variables. They also rise a number of limitations linked to your correlative approach and your focus on leaf material, which I agree.

I also attentively read your responses to referee’s comments. Although several of your responses were convincing and clarified your choices and approaches I also sometimes felt you underestimated the limits of your study. For example, you reject the comment of the referee about the un-accounting of root materials by stating you did not analyze the bulk soil organic matter but the wax fraction. This argument is not convincing because roots can contribute to wax deposition in soil. Moreover, the two referees concluded that the relationship between n-alkane signature and actual climate conditions were low and scattered. The predictions that can be made from these relationships would likely be very uncertain, also because correlation is not reason and that some other variables not studied here could contribute to the observed change with altitude. I disagree when you wrote that you did not use this gradient in your study that would only focus on n-alcane degradation. Indeed, in the same you claim that the relative distribution of n-alkanes can be used to reconstruct past precipitation and temperature.

In sum, I invite you to recognize more clearly the limits of your study and proposed applications in a dedicated paragraph in the discussion section. This section could also propose the complementary approaches we need.

The new version of manuscript will be resubmitted to former referees.

Best regards,

Sébastien Fontaine

Dear authors,

I am satisfied to see you have carefully considered the referee's comments and modified your manuscript accordingly.

Your manuscript is now ready for publication.

All the best,

Sébastien