<p>Terrestrial to aquatic resource flows influence the structure of aquatic communities. However, it is still unclear whether specific traits are more associated with variations in terrestrial detritus quality, depending on feeding habits and the ability to track resources in space. In this study, we test the responsiveness of macroinvertebrate feeding and dispersal traits to variations in lake detritus (particulate organic matter—t-POM) quality and connectivity in temperate Canadian lakes. At each site, we sampled macroinvertebrates, we measured C, N, and P content of t-POM, and we recorded several standard local and catchment-scale parameters. Then, using trait–environment analyses (RLQ and fourthcorner), we show that macroinvertebrates responded differently to variations in t-POM quality depending on their feeding traits. Specifically, shredders and predators were the only groups to respond significantly. We also found that dispersal-related traits responded solely to lake connectivity but not t-POM quality. Identifying key traits associated with responsiveness to cross-ecosystem resource inputs is an essential step toward developing a general understanding of how perturbations can propagate across ecosystems in the landscape and to identify target groups of species that might act as transmission belts of those effects in the recipient ecosystems.</p>