Marine ecologists increasingly use trait-based approaches to assess ecosystem change and compare distinct habitats. To contrast scavenging benthic communities and feeding responses to food sources from mid- (Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada) and high-latitude (Nain, Labrador, Canada) food webs, we deployed Baited Remote Underwater Video systems with fish, jellies, and kelp baits separately at each location. We annotated maxN (i.e., maximum number of individuals per time unit) per species and considered their traits (i.e., size, mobility, feeding structure, trophic position, and feeding style). We compared trait and species diversity across location and baits. Locations and treatments were functionally diverse, whereas species-based comparisons were limited. Three main functional roles emerged: (1) “Large, highly motile predators” (e.g., gadids) dominated Placentia Bay and preferred fish bait; (2) “Sloppy feeders” (e.g., rock crab) broke down fish bait, facilitating access by predators; and (3) “Slow species” (e.g., echinoderms) consumed lower-nutrition foods, specifically jellies and kelp. Low functional dispersion (i.e., breadth of functional roles) in Nain likely reflected environmental filtering through colder temperatures and scarcity of food, whereas high functional originality (i.e., one or a few species per functional role) suggested greater sensitivity to species loss. Higher species richness and Shannon diversity in fish treatments occurred only in Placentia Bay. Overall, scavengers in both systems used lower-quality food such as jellies, highlighting their trophic worth and the value of multiple bait types in capturing trophic diversity. Integrating trait-based and species diversity approaches enables comprehensive comparisons across systems, supporting conservation and management.
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