Serpentine rock soil is dry and low in nutrients, and usually contains heavy metal elements such as nickel and chromium that are toxic to most species  Researchers have found that a population of Arabidopsis plants grow in serpentine rock soil, which is bad for them  It is said that it is a very extreme environment  Some researchers have analyzed the genes of this Arabidopsis plant and believe that they have borrowed some beneficial genes from the relatives that grow nearby to help them cope with the extreme environment
Other plants that grow in serpentine soil are completely independent and adaptively evolved through natural selection
 However, some opponents believe that this Arabidopsis plant adapts to the environment by obtaining genetic variation through the original genetic variation