The molecular gas reservoir of 6 low-metallicity galaxies from the

Context. Observations of nearby starburst and spiral galaxies have revealed that molecular gas is the driver of star formation. However, some nearby low-metallicity dwarf galaxies are actively forming stars, but CO, the most common tracer of this reservoir, is faint, leaving us with a puzzle about how star formation proceeds in these environments. Aims. We aim to quantify the molecular gas reservoir in a subset of 6 galaxies from the Herschel Dwarf Galaxy Survey with newly acquired CO data and to link this reservoir to the observed star formation activity. Methods. We present CO(1–0), CO(2–1), and CO(3–2) observations obtained at the ATNF Mopra 22-m, APEX, and IRAM 30-m telescopes, as well as [C i