Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (739 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Inland bodies of standing freshwater usually smaller than lakes. They can be man-made or natural but there is no universal agreement as to their exact size. Some consider a pond to be a small body of water that is shallow enough for sunlight to reach the bottom.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Pond; Ponds, Freshwater; Freshwater Pond; Freshwater Ponds; Pond, Freshwater.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Geological Phenomena; Fresh Water
Related concepts
- Freshwater
- Lakes
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,588 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Ponds” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,173 of them (45.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 1,384 records.
Reviews account for 39 records (1.5%) and meta-analyses for 3. Randomized controlled trials number 0 (0.0%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 28 |
| 2000-2009 | 3 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,384 |
| 2020 onward | 1,173 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 39 | 1.5% |
| Meta-analyses | 3 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 0 | 0.0% |
Method: PubMed query "Ponds"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Amphibian gut microbiota shifts differentially in community structure but converges on habitat-specific predicted functions [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Complex microbial communities inhabit vertebrate digestive systems but thorough understanding of the ecological dynamics and functions of host-associated microbiota within natural habitats is limited.
- Closing excerpt
- Thus, microbial function can be matched without taxonomic coherence and gut microbiota appears to exhibit metagenomic plasticity.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (144 words)
Complex microbial communities inhabit vertebrate digestive systems but thorough understanding of the ecological dynamics and functions of host-associated microbiota within natural habitats is limited. We investigate the role of environmental conditions in shaping gut and skin microbiota under natural conditions by performing a field survey and reciprocal transfer experiments with salamander larvae inhabiting two distinct habitats (ponds and streams). We show that gut and skin microbiota are habitat-specific, demonstrating environmental factors mediate community structure. Reciprocal transfer reveals that gut microbiota, but not skin microbiota, responds differentially to environmental change. Stream-to-pond larvae shift their gut microbiota to that of pond-to-pond larvae, whereas pond-to-stream larvae change to a community structure distinct from both habitat controls. Predicted functions, however, match that of larvae from the destination habitats in both cases. Thus, microbial function can be matched without taxonomic coherence and gut microbiota appears to exhibit metagenomic plasticity.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 27976718 · DOI · PMC5171763
Microbiome Dynamics in a Shrimp Grow-out Pond with Possible Outbreak of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) (formerly, early mortality syndrome) is a high-mortality-rate shrimp disease prevalent in shrimp farming areas.
- Closing excerpt
- This study's insights into microbiome dynamics during AHPND infection can be valuable for minimising this disease in shrimp farming ponds.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (198 words)
Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) (formerly, early mortality syndrome) is a high-mortality-rate shrimp disease prevalent in shrimp farming areas. Although AHPND is known to be caused by pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus hosting the plasmid-related PirABvp toxin gene, the effects of disturbances in microbiome have not yet been studied. We took 62 samples from a grow-out pond during an AHPND developing period from Days 23 to 37 after stocking white postlarvae shrimp and sequenced the 16S rRNA genes with Illumina sequencing technology. The microbiomes of pond seawater and shrimp stomachs underwent varied dynamic succession during the period. Despite copies of PirABvp, principal co-ordinates analysis revealed two distinctive stages of change in stomach microbiomes associated with AHPND. AHPND markedly changed the bacterial diversity in the stomachs; it decreased the Shannon index by 53.6% within approximately 7 days, shifted the microbiome with Vibrio and Candidatus Bacilloplasma as predominant populations, and altered the species-to-species connectivity and complexity of the interaction network. The AHPND-causing Vibrio species were predicted to develop a co-occurrence pattern with several resident and transit members within Candidatus Bacilloplasma and Cyanobacteria. This study's insights into microbiome dynamics during AHPND infection can be valuable for minimising this disease in shrimp farming ponds.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 28839269 · DOI · PMC5571196
Mechanisms and consequences of developmental acceleration in tadpoles responding to pond drying [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Many amphibian species exploit temporary or even ephemeral aquatic habitats for reproduction by maximising larval growth under benign conditions but accelerating development to rapidly undergo metamorphosis when at risk of desiccation from pond drying.
- Closing excerpt
- Thus, developmental acceleration allows spadefoot toad tadpoles to evade drying ponds, but it comes at the expense of reduced size at metamorphosis and increased oxidative stress.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (222 words)
Many amphibian species exploit temporary or even ephemeral aquatic habitats for reproduction by maximising larval growth under benign conditions but accelerating development to rapidly undergo metamorphosis when at risk of desiccation from pond drying. Here we determine mechanisms enabling developmental acceleration in response to decreased water levels in western spadefoot toad tadpoles (Pelobates cultripes), a species with long larval periods and large size at metamorphosis but with a high degree of developmental plasticity. We found that P. cultripes tadpoles can shorten their larval period by an average of 30% in response to reduced water levels. We show that such developmental acceleration was achieved via increased endogenous levels of corticosterone and thyroid hormone, which act synergistically to achieve metamorphosis, and also by increased expression of the thyroid hormone receptor TRΒ, which increases tissue sensitivity and responsivity to thyroid hormone. However, developmental acceleration had morphological and physiological consequences. In addition to resulting in smaller juveniles with proportionately shorter limbs, tadpoles exposed to decreased water levels incurred oxidative stress, indicated by increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase. Such increases were apparently sufficient to neutralise the oxidative damage caused by presumed increased metabolic activity. Thus, developmental acceleration allows spadefoot toad tadpoles to evade drying ponds, but it comes at the expense of reduced size at metamorphosis and increased oxidative stress.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 24358352 · DOI · PMC3865288
Supplementation with effective microorganisms in earthen ponds affects common carp growth and abundance of specific bacterial families [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundEffective microorganisms are increasingly explored in aquaculture to improve fish health and growth without leaving harmful residues.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsThese findings suggest that effective microorganisms can increase carp growth in aquaculture without significantly altering the resident microbial communities, suggesting a promising residue-free alternative to traditional additives in aquaculture.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (175 words)
BackgroundEffective microorganisms are increasingly explored in aquaculture to improve fish health and growth without leaving harmful residues. However, their efficacy in real-world pond environments remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted a 103-day field experiment to assess the effects of supplementation with two effective commercial microorganism products on the microbial communities and growth performance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio).BackgroundEffective microorganisms were added to the feed and directly to the pond water. Microbial diversity was analysed via 16 S rRNA and whole-genome shotgun sequencing across three environments: water (three time points), sediment (two time points), and fish intestine (one time point) from 25 experimental ponds. Bioinformatics processing was performed using the QIIME2 and MG-TK pipelines with taxonomic classification based on the SILVA database. The results showed that although supplemented bacterial families did not establish significantly in pond environments, fish exposed to specific effective microorganism treatments showed improved growth metrics.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that effective microorganisms can increase carp growth in aquaculture without significantly altering the resident microbial communities, suggesting a promising residue-free alternative to traditional additives in aquaculture.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42337725 · DOI · PMC13543649
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article The Santa Pola saltern as a model for studying the microbiota of hypersaline environments [5]
- Research article Enhancing microalgal photosynthesis and productivity in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds for biofuel production [6]
- Research article Wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (WWT HRAP) for low-cost biofuel production [7]
- Research article Mini-review: high rate algal ponds, flexible systems for sustainable wastewater treatment [8]
- Research article Design of waste stabilization pond systems: A review [9]
- Research article Disease and the Drying Pond: Examining Possible Links among Drought, Immune Function, and Disease Development in Amphibians [10]
References
- Bletz MC, Goedbloed DJ, Sanchez E, Reinhardt T, Tebbe CC, Bhuju S, et al.. Amphibian gut microbiota shifts differentially in community structure but converges on habitat-specific predicted functions. . 2016. PMID 27976718 · DOI · PMC5171763
- Chen WY, Ng TH, Wu JH, Chen JW, Wang HC. Microbiome Dynamics in a Shrimp Grow-out Pond with Possible Outbreak of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease. . 2017. PMID 28839269 · DOI · PMC5571196
- Gomez-Mestre I, Kulkarni S, Buchholz DR. Mechanisms and consequences of developmental acceleration in tadpoles responding to pond drying. . 2013. PMID 24358352 · DOI · PMC3865288
- Jakimowicz M, Sidorczuk K, Huyben D, Hildebrand F, Napora-Rutkowski Ł, Hajduk P, et al.. Supplementation with effective microorganisms in earthen ponds affects common carp growth and abundance of specific bacterial families. . 2026. PMID 42337725 · DOI · PMC13543649
- Ventosa A, Fernández AB, León MJ, Sánchez-Porro C, Rodriguez-Valera F. The Santa Pola saltern as a model for studying the microbiota of hypersaline environments. Extremophiles. 2014. PMID 25129545 · DOI
- Sutherland DL, Howard-Williams C, Turnbull MH, Broady PA, Craggs RJ. Enhancing microalgal photosynthesis and productivity in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds for biofuel production. Bioresour Technol. 2015. PMID 25453429 · DOI
- Mehrabadi A, Craggs R, Farid MM. Wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (WWT HRAP) for low-cost biofuel production. Bioresour Technol. 2015. PMID 25465780 · DOI
- Young P, Taylor M, Fallowfield HJ. Mini-review: high rate algal ponds, flexible systems for sustainable wastewater treatment. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2017. PMID 28493156 · DOI
- Ho LT, Van Echelpoel W, Goethals PLM. Design of waste stabilization pond systems: A review. Water Res. 2017. PMID 28672208 · DOI
- Kohli AK, Lindauer AL, Brannelly LA, Ohmer MEB, Richards-Zawacki C, Rollins-Smith L, et al.. Disease and the Drying Pond: Examining Possible Links among Drought, Immune Function, and Disease Development in Amphibians. Physiol Biochem Zool. 2019. PMID 30990770 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.