Biogeographic Diversity Meets Functional Similarity: Trait Convergence in Benthic Infauna From the Arctic Ice‐Covered North to Ice‐Free South

Aims Species redistributions and ecological shifts are increasingly evident in Arctic ecosystems, but few studies have examined benthic invertebrate communities using biogeographic and functional frameworks. This study examines the distribution of Arctic, Boreal, and Cosmopolitan infaunal species across a latitudinal gradient on the West Greenland shelf, and whether these distributions are influenced by environmental drivers and trait‐based strategies. Location West Greenland Shelf, from Nuuk to Disko Bay. Methods We analysed abundance and trait data for 161 benthic taxa across nine stations. Biogeographies were assigned at the species or genus level, and β‐diversity was decomposed into turnover and nestedness components. Environmental gradients were characterised using PCA of sediment properties, water mass characteristics, and spatial variables. Multiple Regression on distance Matrices (MRM) assessed how these gradients explained variation in taxonomic and trait composition. Results Species richness was almost evenly split among Arctic, Boreal, and Cosmopolitan groups, with no clear latitudinal gradient. High β‐diversity was driven by turnover, yet trait‐based analyses revealed low functional diversity and convergence across all three biogeographic groups, dominated by low mobility and deposit feeding. Cosmopolitan and Boreal taxa were more strongly associated with water mass and spatial gradients than Arctic taxa, consistent with broader dispersal abilities. Arctic taxa showed weaker model fits, likely due to patchier distributions, with environmental associations only evident in composite models rather than as individual predictors. Main Conclusions The West Greenland shelf supports a taxonomically diverse but functionally constrained benthic community, characterised by an even contribution of biogeographic groups. Community assembly is not random but shaped by spatial and environmental gradients across broad temporal and geographic scales. These findings underscore the importance of integrating trait and biogeographic data to identify signs of community reorganisation and to inform conservation efforts aimed at maintaining functional diversity and resilience in Arctic shelf ecosystems, extending beyond species identity.