Final answer:
Smooth muscle tissue is nonstriated with spindle-shaped cells and a single nucleus, and functions involuntarily in hollow organs. Skeletal muscle tissue has a striated appearance, cylindrical and multinucleated fibers, and controls voluntary movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
Smooth muscle tissue differs from skeletal muscle tissue in several key ways. Appearance-wise, skeletal muscle appears striated due to the regular arrangement of actin and myosin filaments within the sarcomeres, giving it a striped look. This is in contrast to smooth muscle's uniform appearance because it does not contain sarcomeres, and the actin and myosin are not regularly arranged. When it comes to structure, the cells that make up smooth muscle, called myocytes, are spindle-shaped and have a single nucleus, while the fibers of skeletal muscle are multinucleated and cylindrical.
In terms of function, skeletal muscle is involved in locomotion and movements that can be consciously controlled, making it a voluntary muscle. Smooth muscle, however, is found in the walls of hollow organs such as the intestines and blood vessels, and its contractions are not under conscious control, hence it is considered an involuntary muscle.
Skeletal muscle fibers are generally larger in size compared to the smaller myocytes of smooth muscle. This size difference is related to the different functions and locations of these muscle tissues in the body.