text: Carbon isotopes aid us in determining the primary production source responsible for the energy flow in an ecosystem. The transfer of C through trophic levels remains relatively the same, except for a small increase (an enrichment C between animals indicate that they have different food sources or that their food webs are based on different primary producers (i.e. different species of phytoplankton, marsh grasses.) Because δC indicates the original source of primary producers, the isotopes can also help us determine shifts in diets, both short term, long term or permanent. These shifts may even correlate to seasonal changes, reflecting phytoplankton abundance. Scientists have found that there can be wide ranges of δC values in phytoplankton populations over a geographic region. While it is not quite certain as to why this may be, there are several hypotheses for this occurrence. These include isotopes within dissolved inorganic carbon pools (DIC) may vary with temperature and location and that growth rates of phytoplankton may affect their uptake of the isotopes. δC has been used in determining migration of juvenile animals from sheltered inshore areas to offshore locations by examining the changes in their diets. A study by Fry (1983) studied the isotopic compositions in juvenile shrimp of south Texas grass flats. Fry found that at the beginning of the study the shrimp had isotopic values of δC = -11 to -14‰ and 6-8‰ for δN and δS. As the shrimp matured and migrated offshore, the isotopic values changed to those resembling offshore organisms (δC=  -15‰ and δN = 11.5‰ and δS = 16‰).