Since it can convert alternating current into direct current it is also used in rectifiers. It is a semiconductor and, as such, is used in many electronic devices. Although they do not require it themselves, some plants thrive in seleniferous soil according to Orville Beath, a former chemistry professor at the University of Wyoming. These species are primary called selenium indicator plants. They are able to store high levels of it without damage to their cellular structure.
Plants are able to transform the selenium they absorb into organic compounds.
Additionally, once selenium is oxidized into a water-soluble state many other types of plants absorb it. Through use in irrigation, water run-off, and ephemeral streams the soil has become very seleniferous to the point of toxicity in some places. This, in turn has effected other local vegetation. Selenium effects fauna as well as flora. In the 1950s it was realized that selenium was an essential trace elements in human and animal nutrition.