Sampling Microbial Communities (1 of 2) (IMAGE) Georgia Institute of Technology Caption Researchers are shown gathering samples of microbial communities in layers of sand containing oil. They found that the perturbation led to growth of a succession of microbes that broke down portions of the oil over time. Credit Credit: Markus Huettel Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.