Figure 4: A structural equation model (SEM) showing the multivariate effects on SOC changes through hypothetical pathways of abiotic factors (climate and soil texture) and biotic factors (shrub types).
From: Effects of shrub encroachment on soil organic carbon in global grasslands
The solid and dashed arrows indicate significant (p < 0.05) and non-significant (p > 0.05) effects, respectively; values associated with the arrows represent standardized path coefficients. R2 values associated with the response variables indicate the proportion of variation explained by relationships with other variables. The exogenous unobserved variables e1 and e2 account for the unexplained error in the estimation of shrub types and SOC change, respectively.
