Final answer:
The statement is false; eukaryotes, which include protists and multicellular organisms like the red algae Bangiomorpha pubescens, evolved before multicellular animals. The oldest known eukaryotes date to about 2 billion years ago, while the first multicellular animals appeared around 600-700 million years ago.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "The first multicellular animals appear before the first eukaryotes" is false. Protists, which are eukaryotic, evolved first. These early eukaryotes were initially unicellular, and over time, they became more complex. Multicellular eukaryotes are thought to have evolved about 1.5 billion years ago. By contrast, the first multicellular animals, which are eukaryotes, did not appear until later in the evolutionary timeline. In fact, the oldest known multicellular organism is a type of red algae called Bangiomorpha pubescens, with fossils dating back to 1.2 billion years old. Since eukaryotic cells appeared in the fossil record about 2 billion years ago, it is clear that eukaryotes predate multicellular animals.
Scientists believe that eukaryotes descended directly from Archaebacteria. Multicellular life evolved in a series of steps with simple multicellularity appearing many times across various lineages. Complex multicellularity, similar to what is seen in animals, plants, and some fungi, has also evolved multiple times. However, it requires specialized cells and tissues, which only appeared in a few groups. The first invertebrates, for example, still lacked tissues even though they had evolved multicellularity. We also learn that the first animals evolved around 600 to 700 million years ago, showing that multicellularity is an evolutionary trait that occurred after the first eukaryotes emerged.