Using a causal‐based function to estimate soil bulk density in invaded coastal wetlands
Bibliographic Data
Although pedotransfer functions (PTFs) have been routinely used for predicting soil bulk density (BD) in past decades, most of PTFs were developed based on empirical models that solely focused on statistical prediction. In this study, a causal‐based PTF that focused on mechanistic explanation and prediction was developed by using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM). In an initial step, we identified key processes that theoretically affect BD variation, and assign measured variables for each process. This was achieved by investigating previous literature and researchers' experience based on characteristics of our study area. The proposed method was tested in an invaded coastal wetland in eastern China, with 45 samples. The causal‐based model explained 71% of the variance in BD variation, indicating a permissible fit to the data. The model showed that the direct effect of nutrient cycling, plant invasion, and depth dependence on BD was significant. The results suggested that the soil processes and their interactions identified in the model were beneficial not only to improve predictive accuracy based on the cross‐validation, but also to improve our understanding of BD variation from a system level. The findings highlight that a set of relative merits, such as no assumptions on the data and small sample size requirement, can improve the practical usefulness of PLS‐SEM in BD prediction applications. This study also highlights that PLS‐SEM may promote process‐based soil‐landscape modeling in terms of theory and methodology, especially for soil prediction or mapping
Econometrics · Partial least squares regression · Pedotransfer function · Principal component analysis · Sample size determination · Soil water · Statistics · Structural equation modeling · Wetland · Computer Science · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Environmental Science · Mathematics · Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics · Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics · Ecology · Soil Science
Latent Variable Path Modeling with Partial Least Squares
Total Carbon, Organic Carbon, and Organic Matter
The elephant in the room
Use of Structural Equation Modeling in Tourism Research
Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling
Variance-Based Structural Equation Modeling
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
PLS-Sem
A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling
Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)
Structural Equations with Latent Variables
Spartina alterniflora invasion alters soil bulk density in coastal wetlands of China
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |