Morphological variation in the polyps of the scleractinian coral Favia speciosa (Dana) around Singapore

A photographic technique was used to examine morphological differences in t he living polyps of Favia speciosa sampled from three sites around Singapor e. Eight characters were measured, seven of which differed significantly be tween the three study sites. Sedimentation rates and character size were mu ch higher at the site closest to the mainland than at the two sites further from shore. Land reclamation and dredging contribute to high sediment rate s in Singapore waters; these rates decrease with increasing distance from s hore. Large polyps close to the main island of Singapore are possibly a pla stic, or selected for, response to high levels of sediment.