Low-Mass Cluster Galaxies: A Cornerstone of Galaxy Evolution

Abstract

Low-mass cluster galaxies are the most common galaxy type in the universe and are at a cornerstone of our understanding of galaxy formation, cluster luminosity functions, dark matter and the formation of large scale structure. I describe in this summary recent observational results concerning the properties and likely origins of low-mass galaxies in clusters and the implications of these findings in broader galaxy formation issues.

To appear in the Proceedings of "The evolution of galaxies III. From simple approaches to self-consistent models'', Kiel (Germany), 2002