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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: N/A

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Reviewer #1: This is a thorough review of breeding seasonality in camelids. Data collection appears exhaustive and the evaluation and interpretation of the published data careful. However, I found it hard to follow the authors’ text, because they do not define the seasons in the Method section and in the tables always refer to increasing or decreasing daylength, not seasons. In the text to the various species we are then told that breeding occurs mainly in autumn or spring. From the Tables I take it that autumn refers mainly to March, April and May in the South and Aug, Sep, and Oct in the North (??). This needs to be made explicit for all seasons in the Method section. Also, clearly define what are long or short days and how this relates to increasing or decreasing daylength.

Also, I consider the reasoning (for example line 82) that species with a MIBL >12 months can be expected to be less seasonal breeders a bit too one-dimensional. If the ecology is sufficiently predictably bad or excellent (for mother or offspring) at certain seasons they will be forced into seasonal breeding no matter what the MIBL.

Some discussion of the phylogenetic relationship of these species might also help. It is to be expected that Vicuña and Alpaca and Guanaco and Llama, respectively, are more similar to each other in their response to photoperiod simply because of their ancestry. Are there any data on C. ferus (or C. bactrianus ferus as others classify it) from China or Mongolia?

I found Fig. 1 not particularly helpful: The day length cycle between 10 and 17 hours is specific to a certain latitude and the selection of species shown appears rather arbitrary.

Minor comments

L 35 here the ambiguity about definitions of day length surfaces: If both groups are expected to be long day breeders (which I interpret to be perhaps May to August in the Northern and November to February in the Southern hemisphere, then offspring would be borne either into long or decreasing daylengths again for SAC) or into autumn for OWC. Why should this lead to births in spring?

L 27, 53 adaption? Why not adaptation?

L 110 not necessarily long day but perhaps better “increasing daylength” breeders

L 181 correct scientific name is Vicugna vicugna (correct also in Fig. 2)

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Breeding seasonality of Tylopoda: expected patterns in Old World camelids but an exceptional pattern in South American camelids

PONE-D-25-51657R1

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Gisele Akemi Oda, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS One