VLA survey of Abell clusters. V.

In all tests considered, radio-loud FR I galaxies cannot be distinguished optically from radio-quiet galaxies selected from the same environment. The local density of nearby companions (<20kpc) and the frequency of morphological peculiarities or tidal interactions are not statistically different between the radio-loud and quiet samples. There is some suggestion from comparison to published samples of non-cluster radio galaxies, that the cluster environment is not condusive to long-lived tidal interactions, and that such events may be more important to galaxy evolution in poor groups and lower density environments.

Such events appear to have little influence on the formation of FR I radio galaxies in rich clusters. The results are consistent with the idea that all elliptical galaxies may at some time (or many times) contain powerful (FR I) radio sources.