  We study higher-order modulation instability phenomena in the frame of
Manakov equations. Evolution that starts with a single pair of sidebands
expands over several higher harmonics. The choice of initial pair of sidebands
influences the structure of unstable frequency components and changes
drastically the wave evolution leading, in some cases, to jumps across spectral
components within the discrete spectrum. This complex dynamics includes several
growth-decay cycles of evolution. We show this using numerical simulations of
the MI process and confirm the results using the exact multi-Akhmediev breather
solutions. Detailed explanation of the observed phenomena are given.
