One of the basic tools to quantify biodiversity is based on the use of surrogate species. Such
groups of species are easily assessed and may reflect the diversity of other important and
less easily detectable taxa (cross-taxon surrogacy). Among these key groups of species, the
vascular plant flora has great potential in determining diversity of other groups, since in
terrestrial ecosystems it constitutes the bulk of total biomass and provides the physical
structure for other organisms. The cross-taxon congruence of species diversity (species …