Exotic invasive plants leave legacy effects when impacts persist following invader removal. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) is an actinorhizal tree that is widespread along rivers in interior western North America. We monitored soil N and plant community response to E. angustifolia removal in a riparian ecosystem in eastern Colorado, USA. We collected pre-removal data for two years, and tracked post-removal response for three years. Soil N was generally higher in E. angustifolia plots than in reference plots (not under E. angustifolia) within each removal status treatment (No Removal, Removal, Control). Percent cover of native species was higher in reference plots than in E. angustifolia plots, within treatments in all years. Percent cover of exotic species was higher in E. angustifolia plots than in reference plots, except in the Removal and No Removal treatments immediately following tree removal. Underlying this pattern was a shift in exotic species dominance from Nepeta cataria to Bassia scoparia. The removal treatment successfully reduced E. angustifolia populations at the study sites, but three years afterwards riparian soils and plant communities showed little evidence of recovery towards reference conditions. However, E. angustifolia removal did not appear to worsen invasion impacts or produce novel management problems.

当入侵者移走后影响持续存在时，外来入侵植物会留下遗留效应。俄罗斯橄榄（Elaeagnus angustifolia L.）是一种放线树，在北美西部西部的河流中广泛分布。我们在美国科罗拉多州东部的一个河岸生态系统中监测了土壤氮和植物群落对沙棘肠杆菌去除的反应。我们收集了两年的撤除前数据，并跟踪了三年的撤除后响应。在每个清除状态处理（不清除，清除，对照）内，沙枣地块中的土壤氮通常比参考地块（在沙枣下）高。在参考地块中，本地物种的覆盖率比在E. angustifolia中要高地，在所有年份的治疗范围内。除了在去除树木后立即进行的去除和不去除处理外，大叶桉地块中外来物种的覆盖率高于参考地块。这种模式的根本原因是外来物种的优势从荆芥（Nepeta cataria）转移到巴氏菌（Bassia scoparia）。去除处理成功地减少了研究地点的沙枣肠菌种群，但是三年后，河岸土壤和植物群落几乎没有恢复到参考条件的证据。但是，去除沙枣肠菌似乎并没有加剧入侵的影响或产生新的管理问题。