Dust Evolution from Nearby Galaxies: Bridging the Gap Between Local Universe and Primordial Systems

This paper presents the results of a study aimed at understanding the evolution of the dust properties, as a function of both the environmental conditions and the metal enrichment of the system. I first review the peculiar dust properties of dwarf galaxies, and discuss attempts to understand their origin. Then, I discuss the evolution of the PAH and dust abundances, constrained by the UV-to-radio SED of nearby galaxies, comparing the properties of low-metallicity environments and more evolved systems. I discuss the long term evolution of dust in galaxies, comparing the grain production by various stellar progenitors to their destruction by SN blast waves and in H II regions. Finally, I will show how these models explain the paucity of PAHs in low-metallicity environments.