| Sumario: | Linum suffruticosum L. s.l. (Linaceae) is a taxonomic complex widespread in the western Mediterranean basin. It is characterized by its high cytogenetic diversity and its 3D heterostyly system, which makes it an obligate outcrosser. In this work we studied the patterns of genetic diversity and population structure throughout its distribution using neutral genetic data obtained from microsatellite markers. It is shown that there is no relationship between taxonomic treatment and genetic variability, so a revision of the taxonomy would be useful. L. suffruticosum s.l. has a high level of genetic diversity, promoted by polyploidization processes, and maintained by the existence of abundant and reproductively connected populations. The populations are genetically structured following a pattern of isolation by distance, with the Rif mountains as the most important genetic barrier. However, genetic diversity does not covary at the latitudinal or altitudinal level, nor is it related to population size or the proportion of stylar morphs. This suggests that variations in genetic diversity are not mostly determined by selective forces, but by stochastic processes.
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