{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Richardson DC"],"funding":["St. Olaf Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Program","BEYOND 2020","National Science Foundation","Adam S. Thomas Endowment"],"pagination":["10472"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9213426"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["12(1)"],"pubmed_abstract":["Ponds are often identified by their small size and shallow depths, but the lack of a universal evidence-based definition hampers science and weakens legal protection. Here, we compile existing pond definitions, compare ecosystem metrics (e.g., metabolism, nutrient concentrations, and gas fluxes) among ponds, wetlands, and lakes, and propose an evidence-based pond definition. Compiled definitions often mentioned surface area and depth, but were largely qualitative and variable. Government legislation rarely defined ponds, despite commonly using the term. Ponds, as defined in published studies, varied in origin and hydroperiod and were often distinct from lakes and wetlands in water chemistry. We also compared how ecosystem metrics related to three variables often seen in waterbody definitio"],"journal":["Scientific reports"],"pubmed_title":["A functional definition to distinguish ponds from lakes and wetlands."],"pmcid":["PMC9213426"],"funding_grant_id":["GRFP-2036201","EF-1638679","PBA/FS/16/02"],"pubmed_authors":["Farruggia MJ","Paul K","Sanchez ML","Coleman KA","King KBS","Cheruveil KS","Sweetman JN","Sadro S","Rabaey JS","Lopez Moreira Mazacotte GA","Richardson DC","Farragher MJ","Peierls BL","Smyth RL","Alfonso MB","Andersen MR","Holgerson MA","Hoffman KK","Fernandez RL","Hondula KL"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"A functional definition to distinguish ponds from lakes and wetlands.","description":"Ponds are often identified by their small size and shallow depths, but the lack of a universal evidence-based definition hampers science and weakens legal protection. Here, we compile existing pond definitions, compare ecosystem metrics (e.g., metabolism, nutrient concentrations, and gas fluxes) among ponds, wetlands, and lakes, and propose an evidence-based pond definition. Compiled definitions often mentioned surface area and depth, but were largely qualitative and variable. Government legislation rarely defined ponds, despite commonly using the term. Ponds, as defined in published studies, varied in origin and hydroperiod and were often distinct from lakes and wetlands in water chemistry. We also compared how ecosystem metrics related to three variables often seen in waterbody definitio","dates":{"release":"2022-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2022 Jun","modification":"2025-04-26T13:05:40.465Z","creation":"2025-04-06T14:09:57.207Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC9213426","cross_references":{"pubmed":["35729265"],"doi":["10.1038/s41598-022-14569-0"]}}