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Image: <\/span>(Species on the Edge, n.d)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Also known as Plecotus<\/em> auritus, the brown long-eared bat is a species within the Mammalian class that is native to majority of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. It is also seen in Europe, excluding Greece and southern areas of Spain in Italy. This is primarily due to the warmer climates found in these areas that are not suited to the species\u2019 way of life and its preference for woodland habitats.<\/p>\n With an average lifespan of 4-5 years, the brown long-eared bat is known to adapt to its surroundings with its unique characteristics, specifically its ears which are nearly the same length as its whole body. With such large ears, the bat is very sensitive to sound, enough to hear insect movement. This is crucial as the diet of the brown long-eared bat consists of moths, beetles, flies, etc.. The adaptation makes for an effortless way to locate its prey for a food source. Alongside their impeccable hearing, the brown long-eared bat\u2019s echolocation can range from 25-50kHz. Echolocation is used as a replacement for sight in the dark and is ultimately used to create a blueprint of their surroundings when tracking their prey. This gives them a substantial advantage as they can capture prey at night, as bats are typically nocturnal.<\/p>\n The following link provides a sound clip to the echolocation shown on a Geiger counter from a Brown long-eared bat. (Bat Conservation Trust; Briggs, n.d.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n https:\/\/cdn.bats.org.uk\/uploads\/bat-calls\/Brown_long_eared_Philip_Briggs.wav?v=1541084394<\/a><\/p>\n As their ears are so prominent, when at rest or during hibernation, brown long-eared bats are hidden beneath their wings, this is a simple adaptation in their behaviour to conserve body heat and reduce heat loss as their ears have such a large surface area. They adapt to their environment through their hibernation roots being within caves or tunnels where it is safer from predators (e.g. owls or domestic cats).<\/p>\n Brown long-eared bats are classed as \u2018gleaners\u2019 which means they hunt by taking their prey directly from surfaces such as tree bark or vegetation. Adapting to behave this way in their environment highly increases their survival rate as they do not linger in case of predators. Larger insects, such as moths, will be taken into a perch where they can be consumed safely. These include barns and porches. Although this species has adapted to ensure its survival, there has been a decrease in the population because of the change in the way agriculture is managed and the remodelling of barns.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amoeba proteus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Image: (Arcella.nl, 2024)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Amoeba<\/em> proteus is a unicellular organism that is also called a protist (being part of the kingdom Protista). It is free-living predator that can track prey (bacteria and different protists) on a cellular level by engaging with both chemical and physical signals. They are typically found in freshwater ponds on vegetation that is deteriorating.<\/p>\n Being a eukaryotic cell, Amoeba proteus has a nucleus as well as a range of organelles design to support the different functions that allow the cell to survive. The nucleus is crucial to command processes within the cell, such as allowing materials in and out of via a plasma membrane.<\/p>\n The structure of an amoeba contains cytoplasm, which can be distinguished into an outer plasma membrane, ectoplasm and endoplasm. Endoplasm specifically holds the food vacuoles. As amoeba proteus has no digestive system like a multicellular organism, food can be brought in through the cell surface. This is the same as irrelevant waste that is excreted, as it is taken out from any location on the surface of the cell. Provided by the water from ponds they reside in, oxygen moves into the cell via diffusion and this allows for waste to diffuse into the pond.<\/p>\n The most prominent adaptation of the amoeba proteus is their capability to produce pseudopodia which are \u201ctemporary cytoplasmic extensions\u201d. They use these extensions to move around, the technique being classed as amoeboid movement. This gives the cell a fluid-like shape that is constantly changing. Pseudopodia is vital in survival for amoeba as this is how they move to capture their prey in a means to survive.<\/p>\n When amoebas are in unfavourable conditions, they will survive through encystment. Encystment is a process where the amoeba forms a cyst around itself to protect itself from the hostile environment. Its shape will become round and will remove majority of its water to emit a cyst membrane. Ultimately this increases the survival rate of an ameoba as the membrane becomes hard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Differences between Plecotus<\/em> auritus and Amoeba<\/em> proteus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Food intake:<\/strong> The brown long-eared bat has a fully functioning digestive system to eat insects whereas Amoeba proteus has no structured digestive system (being a unicellular organism). Instead, the amoeba creates vacuoles to surround and digest food inside the endoplasm.<\/p>\n Excretion:<\/strong> Due to its digestive system, bats have an anus to excrete waste after digesting the nutrients needed for survival. Amoeba do not have the same processes as instead will excrete waste using diffusion on the cell surface to remove unwanted materials.<\/p>\n Conservation:<\/strong> When maintaining life, the brown long-eared bat conserves body heat during hibernation by concealing its ears underneath its wings. This is different to amoeba proteus when they undergo encystment. Amoeba will lose water to create a cyst membrane instead of conserving it, making it different to the bat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Similarities between Plecotus<\/em> auritus and Amoeba<\/em> proteus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Enzymes:<\/strong> Both the brown long-eared bat and amoeba proteus require food to survive. They both use enzymes in order to digest their food and to take the required nutrients. Enzymes are crucial to break down food they consume and only take what is most important to function efficiently.<\/p>\n Cell structure:<\/strong> Although Plecotus auritus is a multicellular organism and Amoeba proteus is a unicellular organism, they both have a nucleus as they are both eukaryotic (or contain) eukaryotic cells. This means an amoeba contains one nucleus and the brown long-eared bat has millions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reference list:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Acer Ecology\u00a0(2017)\u00a0Guide to Brown Long-Eared Bat Mitigation. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.acerecology.co.uk\/brown-long-eared-bat-mitigation\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n Arcella.nl\u00a0(2024)\u00a0Amoeba proteus. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/arcella.nl\/amoeba-proteus\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 9 January 2026).<\/p>\n Bat Conservation Trust\u00a0(2026)\u00a0Brown long-eared bat. UK Bats: What are bats? Bat Conservation Trust. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.bats.org.uk\/about-bats\/what-are-bats\/uk-bats\/brown-long-eared-bat<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n Blades Biological Ltd\u00a0(n.d.)\u00a0Amoeba Proteus Unveiled: Anatomy, Physiology, Life Cycle, and Uses. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/blades-bio.co.uk\/amoeba-proteus-unveiled-anatomy-physiology-life-cycle-and-uses\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n Britannica\u00a0(2026)\u00a0Amoeba (microorganism order). Britannica. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/amoeba-order<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n BYJU\u2019S\u00a0(2021)\u00a0Encystation in Amoeba. BYJU\u2019S Biology. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/byjus.com\/biology\/encystation-in-amoeba\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n De la Fuente, I.M., Bringas, C., Malaina, I., Fedetz, M., Carrasco-Pujante, J., Morales, M., Knafo, S., Mart\u00ednez, L., P\u00e9rez-Samart\u00edn, A., L\u00f3pez, J.I., P\u00e9rez-Yarza, G. and Boyano, M.D. (2019) \u2018Evidence of conditioned behavior in amoebae\u2019,\u00a0Nature Communications, 10, p. 3690. doi: 10.1038\/s41467-019-11677-w. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6695432\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n New Forest National Park Authority\u00a0(2026)\u00a0Brown long-eared bat. Discover Wildlife: Bats. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.newforestnpa.gov.uk\/discover\/wildlife\/bats\/brown-long-eared\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n Species on the Edge\u00a0(n.d)\u00a0Brown long-eared bat. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/speciesontheedge.co.uk\/brown-long-eared-bat\/<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 9 January 2026).<\/p>\n Wildlife Trusts, The\u00a0(n.d.)\u00a0Brown long-eared bat. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.wildlifetrusts.org\/wildlife-explorer\/mammals\/brown-long-eared-bat<\/a>\u00a0(Accessed: 8 January 2026).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/lonegroup01\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_1394-300x198.png\")
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