Pond metabolism data across Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Uruguay - PONDERFUL

Data collection included 100 ponds across five countries: Belgium (BE - 16), Denmark (DK - 30), Germany (DE - 24), Spain (SP - 21) and Uruguay (UY - 9). We sampled ponds during the stratified sampling campaign in spring 2021 (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain) and the resampling campaign in 2022, with 2023 for Uruguay. Whenever possible, ponds were distributed across a gradient of land-use intensity (including agricultural land use and different cattle densities) and hydroperiod (permanent versus temporary ponds), depending on local factors in each country. All ponds were located below 800 m and were more than 10 years old. We selected pondscape, defined as a group of ponds and their surrounding terrestrial matrix (Boothby, 1997), as the unit area, with a total of 30 ponds per country, although pond numbers per pondscape could vary by country. We sampled ponds using the standardised PONDERFUL protocol. For more detailed methods, please see Cuenca-Cambronero et al. (2026, Nat Eco & Evol).