Figure 3: Structural Equation “meta-“ model (Grace et al. 2012). We will investigate the exact structure of the SEM and variables. For example, composite variables or PCA analysis may be used for the ‘Climate’ and ‘Soil Properties’ as they are comprised of multiple variables. ‘Land use’, as a categorical variable, would likely be a composite variable. Analysis would compare the direct effect of time on biodiversity (red arrow) with other indirect pathways.