Abundance distribution models and diversity-area relationships are tools of biological diversity analysis that have been used by ecologists for decades. In a case study by Ibez et al., these techniques are considered in a mor e general setting, and have been applied to explore notions such as pedodiversity (as an example of geodiversity in a broad sense, including also geomorphic diversity), in order to detect the differences and similarities between both natural resources, biological and non-biological.The discussion has mainly been conducted through the study of the Aegean Islands by the Spanish research team. Standard statistical techniques have been applied to analyze how the pedotaxa-abundance distribution conforms to the abundance distribution models and how pedorichness-area data fit to the diversity-area models.No statistically significant difference has been observed between the abundance distribution models and the diversity-area relationships followed by biodiversity and pedodiversity data in similar situations. Thus, the studied results may suggest that some assumptions underlying biodiversity analysis ought to be carefully re-examined.Since results in ecological literature are usually interpreted in biological terms, the analysis by Ibáez et al. may be relevant to offer some suggestions to the following questions: What are the reasons for the similarities obtained between biotic and soil resources? Should the ecological theory modify some of its constructs once the said similarities have been proven? and what are its implications for environmental management and assessment?
The diversity of soils derived from different parent materials and developed on different terrains inShandong Province, China, was analyzed with the theory of pedodiversity using a 1:1000000 scale soilsand terrain digital database (SOTER) of Shandong Province in a geographical information system (GIS)environment. Diversity index of soils derived from different parent materials followed the sequence of igneousrock ＞ sedimentary rock ＞ metamorphic rock ＞ unconsolidated material. Diversity index of soils developedon different terrains followed the sequence of plain ＞ medium-gradient mountain ＞ medium-gradient hill＞ valley floor ＞ medium-gradient escarpment zone ＞ depression ＞ high-gradient mountain. Abundancedistributions of these soil groups matched the logarithmic normal distributions.
