Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2016
Dwarf galaxies are ideal laboratories to study influential effects on galaxy evolution. In particular, their gas-rich variant with very active star formation, starbursting dwarf irregulars, shows chemical and structural signatures that lead unambiguously to the conclusion that they are standing in a vital contact with their surroundings. Gas infall cannot only trigger star formation but also allows for a reduction of the metal content. on the other hand, active star formation ignites numerous supernovae type II which accumulate and can produce a galactic wind. This again depletes the metals pushing them into a gas mixing cycle with different timescales, locally of about 10 Myrs, but an galactic scales of at least 1 Gyr. This paper illuminates the different processes like gas infall and outflow and their effects on the chemical evolution, the star formation, and the gas mixing in dwarf irregular galaxies.