N/O and Ne/O ratios of SDSS dwarf galaxies

The opposite trend is seen in both the nitrogen abundance and N/O ratio: void dwarf galaxies have slightly lower nitrogen abundances (~5%) and lower N/O ratios (~7%) than dwarf galaxies in denser regions. Therefore, we conclude that the void environment has a slight influence on dwarf galaxy chemical evolution. Our mass-N/O relationship shows that the secondary production of nitrogen commences at a lower stellar mass in void dwarf star-forming galaxies than in dwarf star-forming galaxies in denser environments.

We also find that star-forming void dwarf galaxies have higher HI masses than the star-forming dwarf galaxies in denser regions. Our star-forming dwarf galaxy sample demonstrates a strong anti-correlation between the sSFR and N/O ratio, providing evidence that oxygen is produced in higher-mass stars than those which synthesize nitrogen. The lower N/O ratios and smaller stellar mass for secondary nitrogen production seen in void dwarf galaxies may indicate both delayed star formation as predicted by {Lambda}CDM cosmology and a dependence of cosmic downsizing on the large-scale environment.

A shift toward slightly higher oxygen abundances and higher HI masses in void dwarf galaxies could be evidence of larger ratios of dark matter halo mass to stellar mass in voids compared with denser regions.