Chlorella is a spherical, unicellular, eukaryotic green algae. It is an obligate photoautotrophy containing chlorophylls a and b. It is a frequent symbiont of many other organisms such as paramecium, hydra and sponges and is important in fresh and marine environments, as well as in the soil. For these reasons, it has been suggested that Chlorella be used for metabolic studies as an indicator of environmental pollution. Ability of microorganisms to grow in environments containing high levels of toxic metals is frequently due to the organisms` capacity for adsorption of these ions and the role that they may play as essential cofactors in metalloenzymes as is the case for nickel. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nickel on the growth of Chlorella vulgaris. 19 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.