  This paper summarizes several results concerning the comparison between
accretion-related properties of cool (T Tauri; T < 7000 K, M < 1 Msun and hot
(Herbig Ae/Be; 7000 < T(K) < 13000; 1 < M(Msun) < 6) pre-main sequence (PMS)
stars. This comparison gives insight into the analogies/differences in the
physics of the star-disk interaction and in the physical mechanisms driving
disk dissipation.
  Several optical and near-IR line luminosities used for low-mass objects are
also valid to estimate typical accretion rates for intermediate-mass stars
under similar empirical expressions. In contrast, the Halpha width at 10% of
peak intensity is used as an accretion tracer for T Tauris, but is not reliable
to estimate accretion rates for Herbig Ae/Bes. This can be explained as a
consequence of the different stellar rotation rates that characterize both
types of stars. In addition, there are similar trends when the accretion rate
is related to the near-IR colours and disk masses, suggesting that viscous
accretion disk models are able to explain these trends for both T Tauri and
Herbig Ae/Be stars. However, there are two major differences between cool and
hot PMS objects. First, the inner gas dissipation timescale, as estimated by
relating the accretion rates and the stellar ages, is slightly faster for
Herbig Ae/Be stars. This could have implications on the physical mechanism able
to form planets around objects more massive than the Sun. Second, the relative
position of Herbig Ae/Bes with disks showing signs of inner dust clearing in
the accretion rate--disk mass plane contrasts with that of transitional T Tauri
stars, when both samples are compared with "classical", non-evolved disks. This
latter difference could be pointing to a different physical mechanism driving
disk evolution, depending on the stellar regime.

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics