system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is an apple separated from the tree alive or dead?

If I plucked an apple, does it "die"? More technically, how are processes in a plucked apple different from an apple still on the tree?

It's a known fact that fruit&vegs ripen when left alone; where do they get the energy for that?
gpt
Technically, the cells that make up the fruit and the seeds are still alive, but they start fading the moment they're picked.  The energy they get for ripening is already there, it just needs to be converted to the right sugars and what not.  The cells of the fruit are still working (and will until they no longer have the fluids and energy they need).  What's important is that the seeds are alive and they have to stay alive in order to create a new tree.