In large disk and spheroidal galaxies spatially resolved abundance information can be extracted by analysis of either emission lines , absorption lines , or both , depending on the situation .
This review recaps significant results as they apply to non-dwarf galaxies , including the Milky Way , spiral disks and bulges , and elliptical and lenticular galaxies .
Methods for determining abundances are explained in appendices .

Conclusions that span the galaxy types treated here are as follows .
All galaxies , on average , have heavy element abundances ( metallicities ) that systematically decrease outward from their galactic centers while their global metallicities increase with galaxy mass .
Abundance gradients are steepest in normal spirals and are seen to be progressively flatter going in order from barred spirals , lenticulars , and ellipticals .
The distribution of abundances N ( Z ) vs . Z is strongly peaked compared to simple closed-box model predictions of chemical enrichment in all galaxy types .
That is , a “ G dwarf problem ” , commonly known in the solar cylinder , exists for all large galaxies .

For spiral galaxies , local metallicity appears to be correlated with total ( disk plus bulge ) surface density .
Examination of N/O versus O/H in spiral disks indicates that production of N is dominated by primary processes at low metallicity and secondary processes at high metallicity .
Carbon production increases with increasing metallicity .
Abundance ratios Ne/O , S/O , and Ar/O appear to be universally constant and independent of metallicity , which argues either that the IMF is universally constant or that these ratios are not sensitive to IMF variations .
In the Milky Way , there is a rough age-metallicity trend with much scatter , in the sense that older stars are more metal-poor .

In elliptical galaxies , nuclear abundances are in the range [ Z/H ] = 0.0 to 0.4 , but the element mixture is not scaled-solar .
In large elliptical galaxies [ Mg/Fe ] is in the range 0.3 to 0.5 , decreasing to \approx 0 in smaller elliptical galaxies .
Other light elements track the Mg enhancement , but the heavier Ca tracks Fe .
Velocity dispersion appears to be a key parameter in the modulation of [ Mg/Fe ] , but the cause of the connection is unclear .