Aims The present study aimed to reveal microbial relationship between shrimp intestine and ambient in higher place shrimp ponds from the aspects of composition and function. Methods and Results Metagenome and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to compare microbial compositions and functions of water, effluent and shrimp intestine in higher place Litopenaeus vannamei ponds. Although the three groups had similar dominant phyla, such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Tenericutes, their bacterial compositions at the genus level were obviously different. Compared to effluent and intestine, the relative abundance of Vibrio as common opportunistic pathogen for shrimp was significantly higher in water. However, cluster analysis showed that intestinal microbial composition was more similar to that of effluent than water. Metagenomic data showed that the predominant microbial functions in the three groups were mostly related to energy production and biosynthesis, while carbohydrate metabolism was relatively enriched in intestinal microbiota. More importantly, Proteobacteria played a critical role in carbon metabolism and biosynthesis of amino acids in the three habitats, and Vibrio had the most functions related to bacterial virulence and infection. Conclusions Shrimp intestinal microbiota had a close correlation with the ambient microbiota in both structure and function. As the most dominant phylum, Proteobacteria was very important for microbiota communication and nutrient cycling in higher place shrimp ponds. Moreover, due to the pathogenicity, it was necessary to monitor the abundant changes of Vibrio in water to decrease the risk of shrimp disease outbreaks. Significance and Impact of the Study These above results may be helpful to comprehensively understand the characteristics and functions of microbiota in higher place shrimp ponds, thereby providing basic information for developing the management strategies of entire microbiota to sustain shrimp health.