I'm not in that area. I'm a geneticist. I hear that the department on the west coast is trying to integrate many studies on ecosystem parameters at the same time. Many studies are done on an ad hoc basis, with small studies here or there, and they don't end up being integrated to show functional reasons as to why one prey source might be limiting in one condition versus another. I know at least that there are ecosystem research initiatives on the west coast to try to understand those complex trophic interactions among species. My understanding is there aren't enough resources to do it on a very large scale.
On May 19th, 2016. See this statement in context.