Economic chromite concentrations are present in some peridotite and most of the commercial asbestos fibers are extracted from serpentine-peridotite rock. Minor and trace elements in serpentine soils are concentrated in some plants that have adapted to the toxic chemical elements. Plants with concentrations of heavy metals greater than 1000 ppm are referred to as hyper-accumulator plants. These hyper-accumulator plants are of great interest to scientists trying to understand environmental pollution or fundamental plant evolution. Nickel becomes available to plants by weathering of these silicates in the soil horizons especially in humid tropical climates.
Many plants known to be hyperaccumulators of nickel occur on serpentinized peridotites.
The high concentration of Ni in these hyperaccumulators is ideal for phytochemical studies involving mineral exploration, agronomy, and biochemistry. Other transition metals such as Co, Cr, Mn, and Cu are found in serpentine endemic plants but do not reach the elevated concentrations found for nickel. Recognition of the biotic and abiotic uniqueness of peridotite-serpentine tracts has prompted a worldwide agenda to preserve them as ecological islands of great scientific value. Future studies could well focus on the microbiotic populations to learn of their adaptation to serpentine soils. Genetic studies on the serpentine endemic plants may provide answers to plant adaptation in hostile environments.