A species closely tied to the best primeval forests in temperate Europe, where it occurs on decaying spruce trunks. Threatened by its own rarity, the loss of suitable habitats, and forestry management.

Described by Domański 1965 from Białowieża forest.

A species closely tied to the best primeval forests in temperate Europe, where it occurs on decaying spruce trunks. Threatened by its own rarity, the loss of suitable habitats, and forestry management.

Confirmed from three best level forests in Europe (Poland - Białowieża National Park, Czechia - primeval forests Boubínský prales and Žofínský prales). Other still unknown potential localities are expectable in well preserved forests in mountains (there is no analogy for lowland forest like Białowieża). Carpathians, Alpes, Balkan mountains etc., sites with natural occurrence of Picea abies unaffected by human with long-term continuity of dead wood (larger fallen trunks) availability. Such sites are generally very rare and usually protected. The question is whether effectively. The actual distribution may be underestimated, as the species may be overlooked due to inconspicuousness or misidentification with the genus Mucronella.

There are only three localities where the species was confirmed. Other occurrence data (GBIF) are uncertain (possible misidentification with Dentipratulum crystallinum/khuranae or Mucronella spp.). The fruiting bodies of D. bialoviesense are very tiny and can easily be overlooked or mistaken for a common species from the genus Mucronella. On the other hand, natural and semi-natural forests are among the mycologically well-studied habitats. Current knowledge of this species occurrence indicates a very close association with the best-preserved forests in Europe, both lowland and montane. There are very few such localities in Europe, so the populations of this species appear very small, fragmented, and with isolated subpopulations. All known localities are strictly protected, but the long-term outlook for spruce at the Czech locality is unfavorable, as it is being displaced by the more competitive beech. Further localities of this species could theoretically be hidden in insufficiently mapped Balkan primeval forests. It is only known from three isolated populations in Poland and Czechia. The estimated number of mature individuals is not expected to exceed 50. On this basis it is assessed as C2a (I), D1.

This species is a saprotrophic wood inhabiting fungus. It is probably strictly tied to fallen spruce trunks in medium to advanced stage of decay in well preserved forests with no or minimal human influence in the past. For basidioma producing the species probably requires high stable wood moisture. During the dry period 2015 - 2020 it was not found despite very intensive monitoring of wood inhabiting fungi on spruce trunks including those with later found Dentipratulum.

The species is threatened by forestry management, the removal of wood from the forest, specifically large, naturally dead spruce trunks. Forest management can also negatively affect the microclimate of the location, causing the trunks to dry out more. Another threat is climate change and more pronounced weather fluctuations and the associated droughts, negatively affecting the spruce population, which is then more susceptible to bark beetles. At the same time, the weakened spruce is being outcompeted by stronger tree species (beech). The threat is also the small and isolated population of the species and the small number of potentially suitable sites. So the probability of successfully colonizing a new location is low. In addition, the experience so far with this species is that it forms fruiting bodies relatively rarely, so the production of spores is not high.

It is a species that typically prefers a no-intervention regime in the location. So what is important is rather what not to do, do not remove dead wood, do not cut down on the location or in the surroundings. It is necessary to remove potential newly arriving invasive plant species that would tend to change the vegetation conditions in the location. Long-term trends in the location, e.g. the gradual decline of spruce at the expense of beech (example of the Boubín Forest). They may be negative for Dentipratulum in the long term, but any interventions in favor of spruce would disrupt the extremely valuable long-term continuity of natural development. It might be useful to consider a sufficiently large protection zone around the protected area where the species occurs, so that it is not possible to get close to it by cutting, which could disrupt the sensitive microclimate of the site.

We need more intensive monitoring at suitable locations to better understand the real distribution of this species. But not only at locations, but also in herbarium collections, where Dentipratulum bialoviesense material can be expected, possibly misclassified to the genus Mucronella. More occurrence data could also provide more information about the ecology of the species.

Inedible species