2017ApJS..233...13Z

Building on the relatively accurate star formation histories (SFHs) and metallicity evolution of 40 Local Group (LG) dwarf galaxies derived from resolved color-magnitude diagram modeling, we carried out a comprehensive study of the influence of SFHs, metallicity evolution, and dust extinction on the UV-to-near-IR color-mass-to-light ratio (color-logΥ_*(λ)) distributions and M_* estimation of local universe galaxies. We find that (1) the LG galaxies follow color-logΥ_*(λ) relations that fall in between the ones calibrated by previous studies; (2) optical color-logΥ_*(λ) relations at higher [M/H] are generally broader and steeper; (3) the SFH "concentration" does not significantly affect the color-logΥ_*(λ) relations; (4) light-weighted ages <age>_λ and metallicities <[M/H]>_λ together constrain logΥ_*(λ) with uncertainties ranging from <=0.1 dex for the near-IR up to 0.2 dex for the optical passbands; (5) metallicity evolution induces significant uncertainties to the optical but not near-IR Υ_*(λ) at a given <age>_λ and <[M/H]>_λ; (6) the V band is the ideal luminance passband for estimating Υ_*(λ) from single colors, because the combinations of Υ_*(V) and optical colors such as B - V and g - r exhibit the weakest systematic dependences on SFHs, metallicities, and dust extinction; and (7) without any prior assumption on SFHs, M_* is constrained with biases <=0.3 dex by the optical-to-near-IR SED fitting. Optical passbands alone constrain M_* with biases <=0.4 dex (or <=0.6 dex) when dust extinction is fixed (or variable) in SED fitting. SED fitting with monometallic SFH models tends to underestimate M_* of real galaxies. M_* tends to be overestimated (or underestimated) at the youngest (or oldest) <age>_mass.