We use various samples of compact groups (CGs) to examine the types of
association CGs have with rich and poor clusters of galaxies at low (z~0.04)
and intermediate (z~0.1) redshifts. We find that ~10-20 % of CGs are associated
with rich clusters and a much larger fraction with poorer clusters or loose
groups. Considering the incompleteness of catalogs of poorer systems at
intermediate redshift, our result is consistent with all CGs at intermediate
redshift being associated with larger-scale systems. The richness of the
clusters associated with CGs significantly increases from z~0.04 to z~0.1,
while their Bautz-Morgan type changes from early to late type for the same
range in z. Neither trend is compatible with a selection effect in the cluster
catalogs used. We find earlier morphological types of galaxies to be more
frequent in CGs associated with larger-scale structures, compared to those in
CGs not associated to such structures. We consider this as new evidence that
CGs are part of the large-scale structure formation process and that they may
play an important role in the evolution of galaxies in these structures.Comment: 5 pages, no figures, Proc. ESO Workshop "Groups of galaxies in the
nearby Universe", Santiago, Chile, 5-9 Dec. 2005, ESO Astrophysics Symposia,
eds. I. Saviane, V. Ivanov & J. Borissova, Springer-Verlag; very minor
revision of text on 15 Mar 2006, added one referenc