Legacy effects of English ivy ( <scp> <i>Hedera helix</i> </scp> L.) on soils in an urban Piedmont Forest

Abstract Introduction When invasive plants are removed from degraded ecosystems, legacy effects may slow the recovery process of native plant communities. Restoration practices can be improved with knowledge of an invader's specific effects, however, detecting those effects can be complicated by removal techniques and spatial variability in the landscape. Objectives We aimed to determine legacy effects of a widespread invasive plant using a restoration approach that minimized disturbances to the native plant community and encompassed spatial variation. Methods We evaluated soil physicochemistry and soil microbial communities in urban Piedmont forest sites in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.A.) impacted by English ivy ( Hedera helix L.). Sites included upslope, mid‐slope, and downslope positions and were either uninvaded, invaded, or restored through manual removal of ivy. Results Three years following the ivy‐removal treatment we found that soils from uninvaded sites differed from invaded and restored sites in physicochemistry and microbial community composition, while few differences were found between invaded and restored sites, or among slope positions. Comparisons between uninvaded and invaded and restored treatments suggest that ivy may alter the status of soil physicochemical properties including calcium, zinc, phosphorous and pH. Microbial community composition was strongly linked to soil physicochemistry and both bacterial and fungal communities were more diverse in invaded and restored sites as compared to uninvaded sites.