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While all animals need selenium and many plants contain some variable amounts of selenium, because they take it from the soil instead of sulfur, all the sources
by adrian_b 2y ago
While all animals need selenium and many plants contain some variable amounts of selenium, because they take it from the soil instead of sulfur, all the sources that I have read say that it has not been proven that selenium is required by any plant.
Selenium is one chemical element that, like nickel and cobalt, has been needed by all living beings already some billions of years ago, but nowadays there are many living beings which have lost their dependency of selenium, which has been a beneficial trait for them, due to the scarcity of selenium.
The terrestrial plants, because of their environment which frequently lacks many minerals, have lost their dependencies of several chemical elements, e.g. of cobalt, of sodium, for most of them also of nickel, which is optional even in those which can use it, and apparently also of selenium.
If you have seen any source which says that it has been discovered that some plant needs selenium, please indicate it.
As I have said, many plants happen to contain selenium only because they are not selective enough in their sulfur intake, not because they need selenium for anything, unlike the animals, which would die without selenium.