Planktonic communities in an anchovy spawning area of the Sicilian Channel: structure and diversity.

The structure and diversity of the planktonic populations were studied in the Strait of Sicily, an area of spawning of Engraulis encrasicolus (Clupeiformes), a pelagic species of commercial interest. In this oligotrophic area the planktonic communities showed different spatial distribution related to the hydrological pattern.