Question

Which one is a qualitative character?
A. Abundance
B. Frequency
C. Biomass
D. Phenology

Answer 1

Hint: Characters can be classified as Quantitative characters and Qualitative characters. Characters that can be quantified are called Quantitative characters. Characters that cannot be quantified are called Qualitative characters.

Complete step by step answer: Quantitative characters- Characters or traits which can be measured such as, height, weight, frequency, biomass, Abundance.
Qualitative character- Characters or traits which cannot be measured such as, phenology, gender, the color of seed-coat. The character cannot be defined in number or an amount is a Qualitative character.
Abundance: Abundance is a quantitative character defined as the number of species of one group divided by the number of species of all groups. This gives an abundance of relative species. By calculating the abundance of relative species we realize whether the species is Rare, Common, Dominant, Frequent.
Frequency: Frequency is the number of times a species occurs in a quadrant. Is usually expressed in percentage.
Biomass: Quantitative character which is defined as the mass of living organisms in an ecosystem is called Biomass. Calculated by summing up the dry mass.
Phenology: Qualitative character deals with the timing of events occurring again and again in plants and animals. Examples of Phenology are Reproduction, flowering, fruiting, hibernation. It also deals with the variations occurring seasonal changes that influence the organisms such as migration.
So, the correct answer to the given question becomes option D. Phenology.

Note: Quadrant: It is a square frame used to study the ecology and geography of a large area by considering small units of it. The distribution pattern of species can be determined using quadrants.