The Role of Starburst in the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies
  In a diagram of metallicity (\~z) vs. luminosity (M$_B$), the different types of nearby (Z $< 0.05$) starburst galaxies seem to follow the same linear relationship as the normal spiral and irregular galaxies. However, for comparable luminosities the more massive starburst nucleus galaxies (SBNGs) show a slight metallic defficiency as compared to the giant spiral galaxies. Furthermore, the SBNGs do not seem to follow the same relationship between \~z and Hubble type (T) than the normal galaxies. The early-type SBNGs are metal poor as compared to normal galaxies. It may suggests that the chemical evolution of a majority of the nearby starbursts galaxies is not completely over and that the present burst represent an important phase of this process. 
Roger Coziol (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE),   astrophysics division)