The Imprints Of Galactic Environment On Cluster Formation and Evolution
  Young star clusters (YSCs) appear to be a ubiquitous product of star
formation in local galaxies, thus, they can be used to study the star formation
process at work in their host galaxies. Moreover, YSCs are intrinsically
brighter that single stars, potentially becoming the most important tracers of
the recent star formation history in galaxies in the local Universe. In local
galaxies, we also witness the presence of a large population of evolved star
clusters, commonly called globular clusters (GCs). GCs peak formation history
is very close to the redshift (z~2) when the cosmic star formation history
reached the maximum. Therefore, GCs are usually associated to extreme star
formation episodes in high-redshift galaxies. It is yet not clear whether YSCs
and GCs share a similar formation process (same physics under different
interstellar medium conditions) and evolution process, and whether the former
can be used as progenitor analogs of the latter. In this invited contribution,
I review general properties of YSC populations in local galaxies. I will
summarise some of the current open questions in the field, with particular
emphasis to whether or not galactic environments, where YSCs form, leave
imprints on the nested populations. The importance of this rapidly developing
field can be crucial in understanding GC formation and possibly the galactic
environment condition where this ancient population formed.
