Validation of Herbarium Estimates of Vascular Plants In Minnesota
Herbarium records provide key insights into plant species distribution and diversity. However, issues such as spatial and taxonomic biases in herbarium collections could impact their reliability. Despite these limitations, estimates of diversity based on herbarium species have rarely been independently validated. In this study, we analyze plant occurrence data for Minnesota to evaluate the validity of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity estimates based on existing herbarium records. We combined records from GBIF and Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas, standardized taxonomic names, and filtered unusable records to compare diversity patterns between herbarium and field survey records. Additionally, we assessed the spatial diversity patterns across Minnesota.