Paphia rhombofdes is an infaunal filter-feeding bivalve, particularly widespread and abundant in the English Channel. In order to investigate the influence of the growth-related post-settlement processes on its distribution, a spatial growth model was developed and linked to an existing ecological model of the English Channel. This model was partially parameterized on the basis of a specific ecophysiological experimental study, and calibrated with growth data collected in the "Golfe Normand-Breton" (GNB), a region of the English Channel. Compared to the actual distribution of P. rhomboides, the results suggest a strong influence of the growth-related processes on the distribution of the species: particularly, the extremely low growth obtained with the model in the Western Channel can explain the almost complete absence of the species in this area. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.