Program: GS-2020A-Q-207

Dwarf galaxies, by definition, have shallow potential wells, which make them sensitive probes of environmental mechanisms that drive galaxy evolution. Dwarf early-type galaxies (ETGs) are those dwarfs that have ceased forming stars and represent the final stages of galaxy evolution at low masses. The study of these objects in the local Universe therefore offers a window into environmental effects that operated at earlier epochs. Recently, Liu et al. discovered that the chemistry of stars in a sample of 11 dwarf ETGs in the Virgo galaxy cluster correlates with location within the cluster, as well as with the specific frequency of globular clusters. However, their limited sample size prevents a robust interpretation of these trends. We thus request ~25.7h of GMOS-IFU time to observe the centers of 19 more dwarf ETGs within the Virgo cluster. From these data we will extract integrated blue-optical spectroscopy for the centralmost field stars and nuclear star cluster of each galaxy, which will allow us to deduce fundamental properties (e.g. chemical abundances) of the stellar populations that compromise both galactic components. Furthermore, when coupled with our high-resolution imaging from HST/ACS and wide-field imaging from CFHT/MegaCam, we will be able to ascertain the exact relationships between the stars spread throughout the full volume of these galaxies, from their central regions to their outermost globular clusters. This new spectroscopy will allow us to discriminate between competing evolutionary models for ETGs and more fully address the role played by environment and dark matter halos.