Supplementary dataset for 'Seafloor management beyond cumulative load should account for the sequence and arrangement of pressures'

Supplementary dataset for 'Seafloor management beyond cumulative load should account for the sequence and arrangement of pressures' Current ecological models quantify anthropogenic impacts by cumulative load, assuming pressure summation outweighs timing and order. However, ecosystems experience complex, sequential trajectories of change. Using benthic invertebrate species representative of a functionally diverse community, we demonstrate that pressure sequence, rather than cumulative load, primarily determines seafloor ecosystem functioning. Our results reveal that distinct functional signatures of pressure arrangement on bioturbation (particle mixing and burrow ventilation) are masked unless their chronological order is integrated into the analysis. Crucially, functionally similar species exhibit divergent, path-dependent responses to identical pressures, governed by prior exposure and moderated by season; demonstrating that the ecological memory of an assemblage can either prime it for resilience or accelerate the exhaustion of its functional capacity. As endpoint-based environmental assessments overlook these non-linear trajectories, we advocate transitioning toward trajectory-driven management frameworks that prioritise pressure timing and sequence. This shift is essential to predict ecosystem responses and safeguard coastal and shelf sea resilience.