The natural diet of goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) was studied over the period of a year in northern Xinjiang, China using microhistological analysis. The winter food habits of the goitred gazelle and domestic sheep were also compared. The microhistological analysis method demonstrated that gazelle ate 47 species of plants during the year. Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae were major foods, and ephemeral plants were used mostly during spring. Stipa glareosa was a major food item of gazelle throughout the year, Ceratoides latens was mainly used in spring and summer, whereas in autumn and winter, gazelles consumed a large amount of Haloxylon ammodendron. Because of the extremely warm and dry weather during summer and autumn, succulent plants like Allium polyrhizum, Zygophyllum rosovii, Salsola subcrassa were favored by gazelles. In winter, goitred gazelle and domestic sheep in Kalamaili reserve had strong food competition; with an overlap in diet of 0.77. The number of sheep in the reserve should be reduced to lessen the pressure of competition.
Scent marking is a widespread component of mammal communication and important in the maintenance of territories as a form of status signal advertising territorial ownership, and potential source of information on the quality and competitive ability of the signaller. Marking behaviour with preorbital glands is a common research topic for tropical antelopes, while such behaviour in goitered gazelles, until now, has been poorly understood. We investigated this behaviour in goitered gazelles and found that adult males marked with their preorbital glands all year round, but especially intensively during the rut and most often while patrolling their territories and
chasing females; rarely did they mark during territorial conflicts. Adult males preferred to mark the most conspicuous eatable shrubs that reached close to the height of the male. With a few minor exceptions, goitered gazelle performed marking behaviours in a manner similar to other antelope species, and overall did not show any distinctive differences. Preorbital marking behaviour as an essential part of social organization demonstrated its conservatism, but environmental factors also had their impacts, which led to considerable quantitative seasonal fluctuations in marking behaviour.