Final answer:
Martina should eat the peach with the small tear in the skin because it is more susceptible to spoilage. Ethylene gas, which accelerates ripening, will be released due to the damage, so it's better to consume this peach first to prevent waste. So the correct option is B.
Step-by-step explanation:
Martina should eat the peach with the small tear in the skin where a bird pecked it. This is because once the skin of a fruit is breached, it becomes more susceptible to microbial invasion and spoilage due to oxidation and other chemical processes. To prevent the peach from spoiling sooner than the others, it's wise to consume the damaged one first.
The presence of ethylene gas can accelerate the ripening process in fruits. If an underripe fruit is kept with the damaged one, the ethylene released from the damaged peach would trigger ripening in the underripe fruit. Therefore, the other peaches, like the underripe one or the one that is soft but not bruised, can be saved for later as they will have a longer shelf life.