The paper is very well written and clear and reports important new findings. I have no suggestions for alterations or further experiments.
Admittedly, my understanding of bioinformatic analysis is limited, however, the description of the RNAseq method is detailed and should allow any reader to understand the methods used. RNAseq data have been validated by qPCR and confirm that the method is robust.
Most genes identified in the RNAseq have been reported by different groups before, but it is intriguing that Eya3, NMU and Dio2 are responsive to food restriction. These findings combined with published data allow for a better understanding on how food cues and photoperiod control seasonal breeding on the neuroanatomical level (i.e. Figure 4 in the manuscript) and will be of high interest to any seasonal biologist. Most importantly, the study reports a set of new genes that previously have not been reported. It will be interesting to follow these up.
The original protocol was designed to investigate the impact of chronic low exposure to BPS. In regards to the 3Rs, it is great to see that the authors were able to use this experimental design to address their own research questions and they have ensured that they control for any unwanted effects of the original study.
Overall a beautiful study, congratulations!