Abstract
Although dwarf elliptical galaxies are the dominant galaxy population in nearby clusters, their origin and nature remain a mystery. The main aim of this project is to compare the dynamical properties and star formation histories of a sample of dwarf ellipticals in the Virgo cluster with those of the classical elliptical galaxies. In particular, deep long slit spectroscopic data to be obtained with OSIRIS will allow us to: i) measure the degree at which these spheroids are rotationally supported to check if they could represent the low luminosity extension of the classical ellipticals; and ii) analyze their stellar populations gradients in terms of mean age, metallicity, initial mass function, and star formation histories. These data will provide important clues to understanding whether the dwarf ellipticals are primordial cluster members or, on the contrary, whether they are the result of environmental effects.
