Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria promote microbial carbon utilization by altering microbial community composition in albic soil paddy fields

Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (NFC) are photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms with nitrogen-fixing ability, which can be applied as biofertilizers in paddy fields to improve rice tillering capacity and yield. However, few studies have reported the effects of NFC replacing nitrogen fertilizer on the structure of soil microbial communities and carbon utilization levels in black soil paddy fields. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment on NFC replacing nitrogen fertilizer in paddy fields in the Sanjiang Plain of the Northeast Black Soil Region and investigated the effects of different fertilizer treatments on the structural composition of the soil microbial community as well as the carbon utilization of paddy fields.